Standing on the Edge of Tomorrow III: Inferno
by Vilandra4
Summary: COMPLETE When the Scooby Gang tries to stop the harbingers of the First Evil from opening the Hellmouth to resurrect their master, their actions meet with dire consequences that affect them all in tragic ways.
1. Prologue: Open the Gateway

Standing on the Edge of Tomorrow III: Inferno

Disclaimer: Everything in the Buffy universe belongs to Joss Whedon. I'm just taking the characters for a joy ride.

Note: You might want to check out the first two installments of this story. It might clarify some things.

Second Note: I was watching the first episode of Season Seven today and I noticed something very interesting in the scene where the First Evil is in the high school basement talking to Spike. When it changes into Drusilla, it actually touches Spike. What I'm wondering, is why can it touch Spike, but it can't touch anyone else? Is it because Spike is dead? But if so, shouldn't Buffy have been able to touch it, as she died, and it should go both ways. Just a thought.

Prologue: Open the Gateway:

The remnants of Angel's team of fighters stood in the rain soaked alley, watching as an impossibly large army of demons crept closer and closer. The souled vampire glanced around at his companions, notably regretting two things. Firstly, he regretted asking Spike to assist him in constructing his plan to destroy Wolfram and Hart. Though he needed Spike's muscle, asking him to come to Los Angeles, tearing him away from Dawn, and shoving him into certain doom had been more selfish than he cared to admit. Secondly, he regretted failing to ask the rest of the Sunnydale crew to help him. He knew that Buffy and Faith disagreed with his decision to join Wolfram and Hart. The Watchers' Council hadn't looked kindly on it either. Foolishly, he believed that as the legendary vampire with a soul and the champion of the people, he didn't need the help of the Slayers.

He was starting to see the error of his ways. Unfortunately, his hubris cost Wesley his life. Now, he, Spike, Gunn, and Illyria stood gathered in a small group, awaiting what would most certainly be their deaths. "We got anything in terms of a plan?" Spike asked warily, looking over to Angel for guidance.

"We fight," Angel replied as confidently as he could. But even his determination was starting to wane.

"Bit more specific?" Spike asked hopefully. Angel shot him a sour look and glanced back at the demon army in front of them.

"Well, personally, I kinda want to slay the dragon," Angel grinned as a dragon soared through the sky toward them. "Let's go to work." The group issued a collective battle cry and raised their weapons before they ran forward into the fray. Instantly, Angel realized that they were going to lose. However, the hopelessness that laid heavily upon his heart quickly gave way to joy when he saw that directly behind the demon army stood a group of very familiar faces.

"Hold your ground!" He shouted over the sounds of battle around him. "We've got company." He watched as Buffy, Faith, and a group of the Slayers broke through the line of demons.

"Thought you could use some help," Faith offered as she shoved her ax through one of the demons in front of Angel.

"How'd you even know what we were doing?" Angel asked, shaking a demon off of his back and decapitating it with a swift motion of his sword.

"Kara had a vision," Faith explained, watching her friends out of the corner of her eye to ensure that they were still standing. "Oh, and Spike called a couple hours ago and told us that you had lost your mind."

"Spike!" Angel growled over at the bleach blonde vampire.

"What?" Spike bellowed back.

"What part of _secret_ plan did you not understand?" Angel yelled, angrily slashing at the dragon as it swooped overhead.

"Apparently all of it," Spike shouted back with a chuckle.

"He's not lookin' too good," Faith commented suddenly, motioning over to Gunn, who was struggling against two larger and stronger demons.

"He's been wounded," Angel responded concernedly. "He needs to get to a hospital." Faith nodded and motioned for two nearby Slayers.

"Get him outta here," she instructed, pointing to Gunn. "There's a hospital just down the street. Hurry!" The Slayers nodded, dispatched the two demons that he had been fighting, grabbed Gunn, and began to fight their way back through the alley toward the street with the injured man propped between them.

The battle raged on until the alley was covered in blood. The dragon fell out of the sky and Angel stood over it victorious. Finally, those demons that hadn't been killed fled in fear. Angel looked around at the carcasses lying on the street and at the faces of his friends and smiled. "I guess this means we won, huh?"

Buffy laughed and nodded as she walked over to Faith and linked her arm with the younger Slayer's to help her hobble along on a wounded leg. "Yeah, but the next time you want to dive headlong into a battle you cannot under _any_ possible circumstance win, just give us a call."

"Will do," Angel promised seriously. The group slowly began the march to the hospital, most everyone nursing wounds. Angel glanced around the alley, tossed his sword down onto the blood soaked street, and followed after them. The rain had stopped halfway through the battle and the sky was starting to clear. The moon shone brightly above him and the stars twinkled, millions of miles away. Angel thought back to all of the battles that he fought and all of the friends he lost, and he knew that all of those things had brought him to this moment. He fought his great battle, the one that would define the rest of his life, and now he just wanted to rest. But more than that, he wanted to leave Los Angeles and find some place quiet in which to settle down for a while. He knew it wouldn't be forever; eventually, the fight would call him back, maybe to L.A., maybe somewhere else.

"So, what's next?" Buffy asked as Angel caught up with them.

"I was thinking of moving back to Sunnydale for a little while," Angel answered casually. "The big city scene is starting to wear thin."

"What about the others?" Faith asked, in reference to Illyria and Gunn.

"I don't know. I guess we'll find out soon enough," Angel said thoughtfully. He was certain that Illyria would leave as soon as she healed enough to travel. Gunn's fate was uncertain. He was wounded badly. Angel just hoped he survived the night.

They arrived at the hospital a few minutes later, much to the shock of the hospital staff, which was quickly overwhelmed with the injured. Angel paced impatiently as the doctors worked on Gunn. An hour before dawn, a surgeon entered the waiting room. "Are you here for Charles Gunn?" He asked. Angel turned to face him and nodded.

"Yes, we are," Angel replied.

"Are you family?" The surgeon questioned.

"Yes," Angel answered.

The man eyed him doubtfully for a moment, but continued. "Charles came into the operating room suffering from massive blood loss. The injuries he sustained were too much for his body. We did everything that we could, but unfortunately, we weren't able to save him," he explained apologetically. "I'm very sorry for your loss."

Angel sighed and looked down at the ground. Tears pricked at his eyes, but he restrained them. "Thank you," he whispered. The surgeon nodded and walked away.

"I'm sorry, man," Faith said, walking over to the souled vampire and laying her hand on his shoulder.

Angel smiled over at her and nodded. "Thanks," he spoke quietly. "Gunn was a fighter. He died nobly. That's what he would have wanted."

"You did what you had to do," Faith whispered so that only the vampire could hear.

"I'm not so sure about that," Angel murmured.

"People die in this business, Angel," Faith reasoned. "When they chose this life, they know that. You can't blame yourself. Yeah, Gunn and the others looked to you to lead them. But they wouldn't have followed you somewhere they didn't want to go."

"When did you get so insightful?" Angel chuckled.

Faith shrugged. "I guess it comes with being a high school graduate," she grinned.

"You passed your GED, huh?" Angel asked.

"That I did," Faith replied proudly.

"Have you told Buffy yet?" He questioned.

"Nah," Faith said dismissively. "I want to surprise her. She'll be psyched. She didn't think that I took her whole 'gotta plan for the future' speech to heart."

"She'll be proud of you, Faith," Angel said sincerely. "I know that I am."

"Thanks, Fang," Faith clapped him on the shoulder.

"What're you guys talking about over here all quiet and conspiratorial like?" Buffy asked curiously, hopping out of her chair and walking over to the duo.

"Nothing in particular," Angel lied.

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Right," she stated.

"I was just telling Angel that we should get him out of here before the sun rises," Faith offered. "You know, so he doesn't turn into a crispy critter."

"Good point," Angel frowned. "I lost track of time. Spike," he called to the other vampire, "we should go."

"Some of the girls are still in the operating room," Buffy said. "But they should be released tonight. We'll leave for Sunnydale when the sun goes down. Faith," she instructed, "take Angel and Spike back to Angel's place and get them packed. Meet us back here at dusk."

"Yes, ma'am," Faith replied with a mock salute. When Angel and Spike started to walk away, Faith leaned down and gently grazed her lips against her wife's. "We'll be back soon," she promised when she pulled away. Buffy smiled and nodded as Faith hobbled down the hallway after the vampires. "Come on, Soulboy," she teased, "let's go to your place."

…………………………………..

Kara squeezed her eyes shut, gritting her teeth against the pain that ripped through her mind. She felt as though she was being torn in a thousand directions at once and the anguish that burned through her blood brought her to her knees. Clutching her head, she leaned back against the wall and waited. Slowly, images began to form in front of her closed eyelids. She saw the flash of a brown robe. A fire was burning somewhere; she could smell the smoke. A dark, hazy room was spread before her. She could hear chanting. The words assumed form in her mind with clarity. "We beseech thee, open the gateway. We beseech thee!"

The images abruptly faded, leaving a black void in front of her eyes. Kara sighed and the pain began to recede. "Again," she muttered angrily, "thank you Cordelia. I just couldn't live without mind numbing headaches and completely oblique visions." Opening her eyes, she blinked against the harsh bathroom light. She was sitting on the floor by one of the stalls. The first tingles of a migraine had started forming in her brain when she was trying to instruct a classroom full of inexperienced Slayers how to defend themselves against a vampire attack. Excusing herself, she had rushed to the bathroom and collapsed by one of the stalls just as the vision hit her.

Pulling herself to her feet, she grabbed onto the edge of the sink and surveyed herself in the mirror. Her dark hair was pulled back, but loose strands hung around her face. Her blue eyes shone brightly out at her, but smoky circles lingered underneath of them. She hadn't been sleeping very well since the visions started. When she closed her eyes, images of pain and suffering drifted through her mind. For the first couple of weeks, she simply laid in bed with Kennedy, watching her lover sleep, and contemplating the horrible things that she saw behind her eyes. But she had taken to pacing restlessly around the house. She knew that Kennedy was worried about her. She also knew that Buffy and Faith were too. Her parents shared the bedroom down the hall. The situation had been strange at first, but Kara became accustomed to it and preferred having them around, especially after Willow's wall soundproofing spell.

Turning on the sink, she cupped her hands and let the water gather between them. After several moments, she lifted her hands to her face and splashed the water across her skin. The coolness was refreshing and the mist hovering in her mind dissipated. "Another vision?" A voice asked to her left. Kara jumped, stifling a startled cry. Turning, she saw Kennedy standing by the doorway with a smirk on her face. "Scare you?"

"How the hell did you sneak up on me?" Kara asked in surprise.

"Well, I'm a Slayer now too, remember?" Kennedy teased. "Being sneaky comes with the territory."

Kara rolled her eyes, but smiled. "Yes, I had another vision," she said, answering her girlfriend's first question.

"What was it about?" The younger girl asked concernedly.

"I'm not sure yet," Kara replied, her brow furrowing as she thought of the disjointed images that had past before her eyes. "But I'm sure they'll send me some clarification soon," she added sarcastically. Kennedy smiled sympathetically and closed the distance between them, pressing their bodies together. Kara sucked in a breath as the cold marble of the sink touched the band of skin exposed between the hem of her shirt and her jeans and closed her eyes as her girlfriend's knee pushed up against her center. "You know someone could walk in at any moment," she said, the rough desire laden in her voice betraying her reasoning.

"I know," Kennedy grinned wolfishly as she ducked her head and flicked her tongue out, running the metal stud of her tongue ring across the sensitive skin covering Kara's pulse point. The older girl groaned in approval, letting her head drop against the mirror behind her as she instinctively began to grind against Kennedy's knee. "Like that, baby?" The former Potential asked, though she already knew the answer.

"Why don't we take this back to my office?" Kara suggested.

Before Kennedy could reply, the bathroom door squeaked open and a teenage girl poked her head in. "Miss Summers?" She asked tentatively.

Kara sighed and glanced over at the student. "Yeah, Michelle?"

"Are you coming back to class? We were starting to get worried," Michelle replied, a deep blush creeping up her neck and staining her cheeks when she realized what her teacher had been doing in the bathroom.

"Well?" Kennedy asked pointedly, raising an eyebrow.

Kara hesitated, knowing that she would get in trouble with Giles for ending her class early, but she knew that she wouldn't be able to concentrate on anything for the rest of the day if she didn't do something about the low tickle spreading throughout her body. "I think we've learned enough for today," she concluded. "Tell the others that class is dismissed. Work on the routine we developed for next week," she instructed. Touching her forehead with the back of her head, she added, "I'm just feeling a little under the weather."

"I hope you feel better," Michelle said, suppressing a smile as she backed out of the bathroom.

"Giles is going to kill me when he hears about this," Kara chuckled. With Jack Borland's death, Giles had taken over control of the Watchers' Council. Some of his first actions were to appoint Buffy, Faith, Kara, Spike, and Kennedy as instructors at the training school built next to the new headquarters building in Sunnydale.

"Well, you did have that vision and all," Kennedy reasoned. "It's not like you ditched class for the sole purpose of having sex with me."

"Right," Kara murmured as Kennedy grabbed her hand and led her out of the bathroom. The images that she had seen in her vision flashed before her eyes again, leaving an unsettled feeling in her stomach. Something bad was coming; she could feel it in her very bones – something that would change everything.


	2. The Wanderers

Standing on the Edge of Tomorrow III: Inferno

Previously:

Kara squeezed her eyes shut, gritting her teeth against the pain that ripped through her mind. She felt as though she was being torn in a thousand directions at once and the anguish that burned through her blood brought her to her knees. Clutching her head, she leaned back against the wall and waited. Slowly, images began to form in front of her closed eyelids. She saw the flash of a brown robe. A fire was burning somewhere; she could smell the smoke. A dark, hazy room was spread before her. She could hear chanting. The words assumed form in her mind with clarity. "We beseech thee, open the gateway. We beseech thee!"

Chapter One: The Wanderers:

When Faith, Angel, and Spike returned to the hospital that evening, the Slayers already were waiting for them, assembled in the parking lot next to an idling bus. Angel immediately noticed that Illyria was gone. Buffy, seeing his questioning glance, shrugged her shoulders. "She must have taken off sometime during the day," she offered as an explanation. "I didn't see her go, but I was busy looking after the girls."

Angel nodded. "I didn't think she would come with us," he concluded.

"Throw your bag in the bus," Buffy stated. "We're all ready to go."

The souled vampire did as requested, throwing a duffel bag stuffed with those possessions that he wished to keep into the back of the vehicle. As he claimed a seat in the rear, the Slayers began to file onto the bus. Faith slid into the driver's seat, flashing him a brief wink in the rearview mirror. Spike crept down the corridor between seats and plopped down across the aisle from Angel, flashing him a brief grin. When Buffy climbed in and sat behind Faith, Angel spoke up. "Do you actually know how to drive a bus, Faith?"

"I drove it down here," Faith snorted in reply as she shifted into gear and pressed down on the gas pedal. "Besides, would you rather Buffy drive?"

"No," Angel quickly shook his head. "It would be a shame for all of us to die in a horrible bus accident after surviving such a huge battle."

"You know, guys," Buffy interjected. "This joke is really starting to get old. I mean, I'm not that bad of a driver."

"Really?" Faith raised an eyebrow as she turned the bus out of the hospital parking lot and onto the street. "There's documented evidence to the contrary, B."

Buffy huffed dramatically and slumped down in her seat with her arms folded across her chest. "See if you get any tonight," she muttered.

Faith smirked. "Oh, I think I will," she replied.

"You're that confident?" Buffy questioned.

"I know you can't resist me," Faith shrugged.

Buffy shook her head and laughed. "You're so full of yourself," she concluded as her cell phone rang. Sliding it out of her pocket, she smiled when she saw the name on the caller ID and flipped open the phone. "Hey Kara," she greeted. Though her daughter had wanted to join them in Los Angeles, Giles thought it best that two experienced Slayers remain on the Hellmouth in light of their absence.

"How'd it go?" Kara asked.

Despite the static of distance separating them, Buffy thought she heard a heavy weariness in the other girl's voice. "Overall, I'd say it was a success," she answered. "We lost Gunn and Wesley though."

"Shit," Kara muttered. "How's Angel taking it?"

Buffy glanced back at the vampire, who was staring absently out of the window. "He's alright," she said thoughtfully. "I know he's hurting inside."

"And you and Faith are okay?" Kara prodded.

"We're fine," Buffy confirmed. "A little banged up. But we didn't lose any girls. And Dawn will be happy to know that Spike is coming back in one piece."

"I'll make sure to tell her," Kara chuckled.

"Are you okay?" Buffy asked, grabbing the opportunity to ask.

"I had another vision today," the dark haired girl answered.

"Anything useful?" The older Slayer questioned.

"Not yet," Kara stated.

"Been getting any sleep?" Buffy asked. She heard her daughter sigh through the phone.

"I'm okay," Kara replied evasively.

"But you're not sleeping," Buffy noted.

"It's kinda hard with images of death and destruction dancing through your mind like sugar plums," Kara shot back.

"Maybe you should talk to Giles," Buffy offered, ignoring the other girl's harsh tone. "The Coven might be able to give you something to help you sleep."

"I don't need help," Kara grumbled, "I just need these visions to stop."

"I know," Buffy said concernedly.

"I should get going," Kara said. "I'm on patrol tonight."

"Be careful," Buffy cautioned. She worried about Kara patrolling alone with the constant threat of debilitating visions hanging over her.

"I will," the other girl promised. "I love you," she added. "And give my love to Faith."

"I love you too," Buffy replied. "We'll be home soon." Flipping the phone shut, she sighed and shoved it back into her pocket.

"How is she?" Faith asked worriedly as she pulled onto the highway leading back to Sunnydale.

"She's still not sleeping," Buffy answered. "She's patrolling tonight too."

"Do you know if anyone's going with her?" Faith questioned.

"She didn't say," the blonde Slayer responded. "Hopefully Kennedy will go with her. She had another vision."

"Of what?" Faith asked. Night was descending rapidly. As they sped further and further from Los Angeles, the lights of the city faded and the overwhelming darkness of the desert crept in upon them.

"Nothing specific," the older girl stated. "I really wish she would speak to Giles. He might be able to help her with the pain and her trouble sleeping."

"She's stubborn," Faith offered.

"I guess she gets that from you," Buffy joked.

"I don't know," Faith countered, "the Summers women are known to have a hard headed streak among them."

Buffy smiled softly as she glanced out of the window. The stars were shining above them. The brown, mottled lights of Los Angeles that had stained the sky during the first moments of their ride out of the city cleared and revealed the heavens in all of their glory. Despite the beauty resting above her, Buffy frowned. "I know," she commented absently. "But I still worry about her."

………………………………..

"So how was everyone's week?" Joyce asked as she passed a platter of chicken around the dining room table. Xander accepted it with a grateful smile and pushed several pieces onto his plate.

"Well, we've started construction on the second dormitory building up at the Council headquarters," he answered. "So far we haven't had any major setbacks."

"That's always good," Kennedy smirked.

"No comments from you," Xander teased. "It's not my fault you Slayers are supernaturally strong. They just don't make building materials to account for that."

"Xander," Kara interjected, "Buffy actually pulled an entire doorframe from the wall."

"Like I said…Slayers," Xander muttered good-naturedly.

"How about you, Anya?" Joyce asked.

"A woman tried to negotiate a price with me today," she stated incredulously. "_Negotiate,_" she stressed. "You don't negotiate in retail," she scoffed.

"I hope you explained to her your entire theory on the buying and selling of goods," Tara joked quietly.

"Oh, I did," Anya said vehemently. "She'll never make that mistake again."

"She'll never go into the Magic Box again either," Willow commented.

"What're you trying to say?" Anya demanded.

"You scare away the customers," Kennedy stated bluntly.

"I do not," Anya replied matter-of-factly. "Profits are up by twenty-five percent from where they were last year. Business is increasing."

"You better look out, Xan," Kara smiled, "looks like Anya might become the top wage earner in your household soon."

"That's okay," Anya said, looking lovingly over at her husband, "Xander is useful in many other ways."

"Okay," Joyce interrupted before the conversation could veer into an awkward place. "How about you Kara? How are your classes?"

Kennedy smirked into her water as she lifted the glass to her lips. Kara glared over at her, her cheeks flushing slightly. Tara flashed Willow a teasing grin when she noticed. "They're going great," she replied as she kicked Kennedy underneath of the table. "The girls are quick studies."

"I'm surprised," Willow interjected. "After all, how often are you actually in class?" She joked.

"I haven't missed _that_ many," Kara stressed. Willow raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.

"Speaking of missing," Anya interrupted to save Kara further embarrassment, "where are Giles and Dawn tonight?"

"Giles had a meeting with the Coven," Kennedy piped up. "Apparently they think something big is going down."

"Oh, fun," Xander quipped.

Joyce rolled her eyes. "Well, I don't know anything about that," she declared, "but Dawn is in class tonight."

"Our little Watcher-in-training," Willow stated proudly.

"She's at the top of her class," Joyce beamed.

"I guess the smarts had to go to somebody, right?" Kara joked.

"Oh, you better be glad Buffy isn't here to hear you say that," Joyce chuckled.

"Speaking of Buffy," Tara said, "when are they getting back from Los Angeles?"

"I called them a little while ago," Kara answered. "They had just left. They should be back tonight."

"It'll be good to have them home," Joyce commented.

"Yeah," Kara agreed, sighing. Kennedy reached under the table and took her girlfriend's hand. As she rubbed her thumb across the older girl's knuckles, she smiled when she noticed the tension in Kara's body dissipate. Kara looked over at her and smiled. "Thanks," she whispered so that only Kennedy could hear. The younger girl simply nodded.

As dinner began to wind down, Kara quietly rose from the table to clear the dishes. She gathered some of the dirty plates and carried them into the kitchen. Placing them in the dishwasher, she noticed a low ringing in her ears. "Oh come on," she muttered, rubbing her temples. She could feel the pain beginning to spread throughout her brain. She felt like a bottle of champagne about to be opened before the visions hit her; tension built and built inside of her mind until it finally exploded out in a series of images, much like a cork popping from its glass confines. Gripping the edges of the island counter in the center of the kitchen, she groaned lowly between her clenched teeth as the pain mounted.

"Kara?" Kennedy asked worriedly as she slipped into the kitchen. With her Slayer hearing, she heard her girlfriend's sounds of discomfort from the dining room. Rushing over to her side, she gently traced circles on the other Slayer's back. "You're okay," she whispered soothingly.

Blood red light flashed in front of Kara's closed eyes and the vision began. She heard the chanting again. The voices rose louder and louder, echoing as though through a cavern. Flames danced on the walls. The room was consumed with smoke. The figure of a man in a brown robe centered in her vision. When he turned, she sucked in a gasp of surprise. His face was mottled in the haze of the smoke, but she could see with perfect clarity that his eyes had been gouged out and scars like tilted crosses ran over where they should have been. Then the images stopped, leaving Kara off balance and confused as she blinked open her eyes and glanced over at her girlfriend.

"What?" Kennedy asked, immediately noticing the look of fear in Kara's face.

"I saw something…," she hesitated.

"Well?" Kennedy prompted. "What did you see?"

"Is everything okay in here?" Joyce asked, pushing open the kitchen door as she carried the now empty platter that held the chicken earlier in the evening. Xander followed behind her holding some empty glasses, followed by Anya, who was wrestling with a dripping gravy boat, Willow, who was carrying the bread basket, and Tara, who was hauling some left over plates.

"You had another vision?" Xander asked, quickly placing the glasses on the counter and moving over to her.

"Kara," Kennedy said seriously, locking eyes with her girlfriend as she spoke. "You have to tell me what you saw."

Kara took a shaky breath and nodded. Running a hand through her dark hair, she spoke, "I saw some kind of room. I think it was pretty big. I don't know. But there was chanting and it sounded like it was echoing." She stopped to gather her thoughts and continued. "I saw a man."

"What did he look like?" Anya anxiously interrupted.

Xander rolled his eyes and laid a restraining hand on her back. "I think Kara was getting to that."

"Well, she's being awfully slow about it," Anya grumbled.

Despite the cold chill resting in her heart, Kara had to laugh at the ex-vengeance demon. "Sorry Anya," she teased, "I'll speed the story up for you."

"Thank you," Anya smiled.

"Anyway," Kara continued, "I saw a man. When he turned around, I noticed something familiar about him."

"What?" Tara asked, curiosity overcoming her.

"Just as anxious as Anya?" Willow whispered, elbowing her gently in the side.

"Maybe," Tara admitted.

"His eyes," Kara answered. "He didn't have any."

"What do you mean?" Xander asked.

"They had been carved out. Where they should have been, he had these scars like tilted crosses," the future Slayer explained.

"Oh shit," Kennedy muttered.

"The First Evil," Anya whispered.

"What?" Joyce asked confusedly

"The harbingers of the First Evil," Willow explained, "were blind. They had scars like the ones Kara described."

"But I thought that you defeated the First," Joyce stated.

"So did we," Xander sighed wearily. "Apparently not."

"We don't know that," Kennedy argued.

"Giles said the Coven felt something bad was coming," Tara interrupted. "That's why he wasn't here tonight."

"Maybe we didn't defeat it," Willow reasoned. "Maybe we just wounded it, you know. And now it's back?"

"I don't know," Kara shook her head, troubled. "But I know what I saw. The Bringers are back and where they wander, the First is sure to follow."


	3. Endlessly We Struggle

Standing on the Edge of Tomorrow III: Inferno

Notes: Thanks for the reviews. Keep them coming!

Previously:

Blood red light flashed in front of Kara's closed eyes and the vision began. She heard the chanting again. The voices rose louder and louder, echoing as though through a cavern. Flames danced on the walls. The room was consumed with smoke. The figure of a man in a brown robe centered in her vision. When he turned, she sucked in a gasp of surprise. His face was mottled in the haze of the smoke, but she could see with perfect clarity that his eyes had been gouged out and scars like tilted crosses ran over where they should have been. Then the images stopped, leaving Kara off balance and confused as she blinked open her eyes and glanced over at her girlfriend.

Chapter Two: Endlessly We Struggle:

By the time Faith and Buffy were walking up the sidewalk toward the front door of the house in which they lived with Kara and Kennedy, the clock had struck two in the morning. The drive back to Sunnydale lasted about three hours. After briefing Giles on the success of their mission, releasing the girls back to their dorms, and setting Angel up with a place to stay, night had crept into morning. Despite the physical exhaustion Faith felt from the battle itself and the subsequent bus ride, her body was humming. She insisted that they walk back to their home to help her release some of her pent up energy, but she only felt more invigorated. Buffy noticed how antsy Faith had become since arriving back in town, but she chose to chuckle to herself rather than call out the younger girl.

"How ya doin', B?" Faith asked, glancing over at her curiously as they reached the front door. Yanking her keys from her pocket, she slid one into the lock and twisted it. The door popped open and she moved out of the way for Buffy to enter first.

"Thanks," Buffy said, giving Faith a quick peck on the cheek. "I'm good. Kinda tired," she said, faking a yawn. She restrained a smile when she saw her wife's face fall slightly. "You?" She added.

"Five by five," she answered dismissively.

Buffy knew that the younger girl was lying. Though she often experienced the same euphoria that Faith did after slaying, Buffy didn't feel the hungries and hornies quite so intensely. She had learned to restrain those urges, or ignore them, long before she met Faith. The dark haired Slayer, however, never had possessed such self control. Though she tried to respect the blonde girl, Buffy knew that Faith wanted nothing more at that moment than to ravage her against the front door. She decided to let the dark haired Slayer win that night. "I think someone's lying," Buffy teased as Faith closed the door. Darkness fell over the foyer, but Buffy could see Faith's eyes shining dark with lust.

"And I thought someone said she was tired," Faith teased back.

Buffy grinned salaciously and lifted her shirt off of her body in a swift, fluid motion. Dangling it from her finger for a moment, she let it drop silently to the floor. Faith watched the garment fall, her eyes slowly lifting up to view the older girl's toned stomach. "You know how much I like to tease you," Buffy murmured. Ascending several stairs, she began to unbuckle the belt fastening her pants. She turned and saw Faith still standing at the bottom of the stairs. "Well, are you coming or not?" She asked before turning on her heel and walking up to their bedroom. Faith grinned widely, picked up her wife's shirt, and dashed up the stairs after her.

From the kitchen doorway, Kara watched the scene unfold with a mixture of amusement and horror on her face. "Wow, I so did not need to see that," she muttered, shaking her head as she turned and walked back into the kitchen. "That's the one bad thing about living with your parents," she sighed, "sometimes you see them gettin' it on." Her stomach growled loudly as she opened the refrigerator door. Grabbing a loaf of bread, cheese, and a packet of lunch meat, she shut the door and walked over to the counter.

As she was fixing her sandwich, her Slayer hearing picked up the sound of footsteps just outside of the kitchen door. Her senses were tingling, alerting her to the presence of a supernatural being. A vampire, if she read them correctly. But she didn't feel threatened by the presence. She smiled when she heard the sound of a hand falling on the doorknob. "Hey, Spike," she greeted as the kitchen door opened and the bleach blonde vampire stepped inside.

"Kara," he nodded at her. "How's things?"

"You know," she shrugged. "Same as always."

"Not sleeping then," he commented.

"Why does everyone ask me that?" Kara demanded in exasperation, turning to face him. Placing her sandwich on a plate, she sat it down on the island in the center of the kitchen.

"I didn't ask," Spike clarified. "I stated."

Kara rolled her eyes, but smiled. "I'm a Slayer. I don't have to sleep very much."

"It's quality, not quantity, love," Spike said as he sat down on a stool by the island. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a deck of cards. "So what's it tonight, then?"

"Someone feeling a little sexually frustrated?" Kara teased as she grabbed a bottle of whiskey and two shot glasses from a cupboard and sat down across from him.

"Don't even get me started," Spike shook his head. "I understand that Dawn is a little young. But she's eighteen now."

"And you're a hundred some years old," Kara reminded him as he shuffled the cards. "How about Rummy?" Picking up her sandwich, she took a bite.

"Sounds good," he replied.

"Do you ever think that maybe she's intimidated by you?" Kara asked. She poured two shots and slid one over to the vampire.

"Why?" Spike questioned. "She knows that I'd never hurt her."

"That's not what I mean," the dark haired girl clarified. "Maybe she's intimidated by the fact that you're so old and you've had so much experience, whereas she's had none."

"Oh," the vampire said thoughtfully. "I hadn't considered that."

"And it doesn't help that you're both living in her mother's house," the Slayer added.

"Yeah," Spike agreed. "Joyce is great. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. But she's got a watchful eye that one."

"Dawn will let you know when she's ready," Kara smirked and downed her shot.

"Until then, cold showers are my best friend," Spike said as he dealt seven cards to Kara and seven to himself.

"You know you still owe me fifty bucks and a kitten from last night's go fish, right?" She questioned as she took another bite of her sandwich.

"Do you honestly want the kitten?" Spike asked.

"No, but the fifty bucks would be useful," Kara grinned.

"Fine," Spike rolled his eyes. "I'll get you the money."

"You do know you're going to lose, right?" Kara asked as she looked over her cards. She poured herself another shot.

"Always so confident," Spike shook his head. "One of these days, Slayer, I'm going to crack your fragile, little ego in half."

Kara laughed out loud. "Okay, Spike. If you say so." Drawing a card from the top of the pile, she discarded another.

"So you had a vision?" Spike changed the topic.

"How did you know that?" Kara asked confusedly.

"You're down here playing cards with me instead of upstairs sleeping with your girlfriend," Spike answered.

"Yes, I did," Kara replied evasively.

"And?" Spike prompted.

"It really hurt?" She replied.

"What did you see?" Spike continued, ignoring Kara's remark.

"Nothing I can stop tonight," she sighed. Spike shot her a skeptical look and she elaborated. "I saw a Harbinger of the First."

Furrowing his brow in confusion, Spike asked, "What do you mean?"

"You know, blind monk guy? I saw one," Kara explained.

"Doing what?" The vampire questioned.

"Chanting something….there were torches, that's all I know so far," she shrugged.

"Buggar that," Spike said throwing down a card. "I thought we killed that thing."

"Apparently not," Kara replied. Then she added, "I don't know if you can kill it. I think maybe we just stunned it or something, like a spider."

"And you don't know anything else?" Spike pressed.

"No," Kara shook her head. "That's all they sent me so far. But I have a bad feeling," she murmured, shuddering slightly. "Something in the air just feels wrong."

"I can ask around," Spike volunteered. "See if there's word of anything."

"That would be good," Kara nodded. "I'll tell Buffy and Faith about it tomorrow. They seemed rather frisky tonight. Didn't want to disturb them," she smirked.

"That's not weird, huh? Living in the same house with your parents and knowing that they're bumping nasties all the bloody time?" Spike joked.

"You would think," Kara shrugged. "I guess I've been desensitized."

"Poor girl," Spike commented as he drew another card and slammed back his shot. Kara poured him a second.

"So was Dawn happy to see you?" She asked.

"Ecstatic," Spike grinned. "And fairly pissed that I didn't tell her how dangerous it was going to be in LA."

"She really loves you," she commented.

"And Kennedy really loves you," Spike added.

"I know," Kara smiled softly.

"But…," Spike prompted.

"No buts," Kara shrugged. "I love her more than I've loved anyone. Sometimes I think she might be the one, you know?"

Spike smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I know."

……………………………..

Giles had been waiting at the Coven house in Sunnydale since dusk. The leaders had summoned him after sensing something amiss in town. But no one had spoken to him since he arrived. The head mistress was meditating with the rest of the council of elders on the disturbance that they felt coming off of the Hellmouth. Sighing, Giles removed his glasses and cleaned them on his shirt. His eyelids drooped, threatening to close and deliver him unto sleep. Shaking himself awake, he sat up straight in his chair and glanced down at his watch. The Coven rarely kept him waiting; he understood that they only did so now because something more important pressed on their minds. However, he was tired of waiting.

He stood, preparing to leave, when the door behind which the heads of the Coven had been meditating opened. "Mr. Giles," Natalia said apologetically, "we're so very sorry to keep you waiting."

Giles smiled despite his annoyance. "It's quite alright," he said diplomatically. "I assume you summoned me here for a reason?" He prompted.

"Yes," Natalia answered. "Please, come in." She opened the door wider, allowing him access into the room. Eight women were seated in a circle, resting on cushions. Candles lit the room and Giles waited a moment for his eyes to adjust to the darkness before moving forward.

"We have sensed something very dark coming from the Hellmouth the past couple of days," Natalia explained. "We haven't been able to understand it."

"But you do now?" Giles questioned.

"Not entirely," Natalia smiled.

"But something is coming?" Giles asked.

"Something, yes," Natalia answered. "The Hellmouth is always a magnet for darkness. But lately, its power seems to be expanding. We believe someone may be attempting to open it."

"Lovely," Giles muttered under his breath.

"Of course," Natalia amended, "we have no idea who would try such a thing. But there is any number of demons or warlocks who might be interested in harnessing the Hellmouth's power for their own personal gain."

"Needless to say, we need to stop whoever it is," Giles concluded.

"Yes," Natalia agreed. Several other members of the Coven nodded.

"I'll assign some of the Slayers to do recon," Giles said, formulating a plan in his mind. "See if we can't flesh this out a bit more. Once we know what we're up against, we'll form an attack team."

"Perhaps Kara knows something of this," Natalia suggested. "After all, she is our link to the Powers that Be. If something powerful were trying to arise from the Hellmouth, or if someone were trying to open it, they would tell us."

"I'll ask her first thing tomorrow morning," Giles agreed. "Is that all?"

"Yes," Natalia smiled. "Again, sorry to keep you waiting."

"It's no trouble," Giles replied as he turned to leave. "The Hellmouth," he muttered as he closed the door behind him. "When will it ever end?"


	4. Blessings

Standing on the Edge of Tomorrow III: Inferno

Notes: Thanks for the reviews. Keep them coming!

Previously:

"Dawn really loves you," she commented.

"And Kennedy really loves you," Spike added.

"I know," Kara smiled softly.

"But…," Spike prompted.

"No buts," Kara shrugged. "I love her more than I've loved anyone. Sometimes I think she might be the one, you know?"

Spike smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I know."

Chapter Three: Blessings:

Kennedy fidgeted nervously, which contradicted her usually confident nature. She hated feeling anxious and very rarely did so. Even when entering a battle that she did not expect to win, she felt confident in her abilities as a Slayer. She remembered fighting the First Evil and, despite overwhelming odds against her and her friends, she remembered an underlying confidence flexing in her muscles and driving her forward. However, what lay ahead of her would not question her abilities as a warrior, but as a lover and a human being. Reaching into her pocket, she felt the velvety smoothness of the tiny box that she had been carrying around for the past two weeks. Often, she thought that she had worked up the nerve to ask, but something always prevented her. Kara would have a vision, or Spike would hear something from the underground about a new demon. Then Buffy and Faith went to Los Angeles and Kennedy had to wait. But now that they had returned, she was determined to swallow her nervousness and ask the question that plagued her thoughts constantly. She knew that Kara left early that morning to work out in the Council gym with Angel. The perfect time to ask had arrived.

"Buffy…Faith," she said, walking into the kitchen. The two Slayers were standing by the coffee machine, each drinking from a mug, and smiling about something that had passed between them just before Kennedy entered the room.

"Hey Ken," Buffy smiled when she saw the young Slayer. "How's it going?"

"I have something that I need to ask you guys actually," the dark haired girl replied uneasily, fidgeting with the box in her pocket.

"You seem a little nervous, Ken," Faith commented. "What's wrong?" Placing her mug on the counter, she folded her arms and eyed her friend worriedly.

"Nothing's wrong," Kennedy amended quickly. "There's just…well, something I want to talk to you about."

"Okay," Buffy said patiently, nodding as she moved over to the island counter and sat down. Faith followed her wife, her eyes never leaving the young Slayer as she did so. "We're listening."

"Here's the thing," Kennedy started, but then stopped. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she laughed a little to herself, and opened her eyes. "I'm doing this all wrong," she stated. Sitting down across from the two experienced Slayers, she folded her hands and started again. "You know that I love Kara very much."

"Of course," Buffy nodded.

"And you know that I would never, ever do anything to hurt her," Kennedy continued.

"But?" Faith asked suspiciously.

"No buts," Kennedy shook her head. "I've known for quite some time now that I want to spend the rest of my life with your daughter. But I haven't said anything about that. It never seemed quite like the right time." Kennedy reached into her pocket and pulled out the ring box. "I've been carrying this around for the past two weeks." She opened it up, displaying the ring for Buffy and Faith. It sparkled with a single diamond mounted in the center of the golden band. "I want to ask Kara to marry me," she stated. "And I want your permission to do it."

Faith leaned back in her chair and watched Kennedy for several long seconds before her face broke out into a huge grin. "Shit, Ken, you should have just said so. You have my blessing," she answered.

"Thanks," Kennedy replied softly. "Buffy?" She prompted.

"You love my daughter?" Buffy asked, leaning forward and staring at the younger girl intently.

"I do," Kennedy said seriously.

"You'll take care of her, keep her safe?" Buffy questioned.

"I'd die for her," Kennedy swore.

Buffy smiled. "You'll make her happy?"

"I'll do anything for her," Kennedy answered. "She's everything to me."

"Okay," Buffy nodded slowly. "Then you have my blessing."

Kennedy smiled with relief, closed the ring box, and placed it back in her pocket. "You have no idea how glad I am to hear you say that."

"Well, you did seem pretty nervous," Faith commented, reaching back to grab her mug. Once she had it in her hands, she smiled and brought it to her lips. Tipping back the cup, she let the black liquid pour into her mouth. Though it was hot, she swallowed it, sighing as she felt the caffeine rushing through her bloodstream.

"And you don't get nervous easily," Buffy smiled.

"You two can be a little intimidating," Kennedy admitted.

"We _are_ big, bad Slayers," Faith joked.

"Speaking of Slayers," Buffy said, glancing over at the clock on the microwave, "I'm going to be late for my class if I don't hurry. Believe me, there's nothing worse than a class room full of teenage Slayers bitching at you."

"Oh," Faith spoke, "don't forget that Giles wanted to see us this afternoon. You too, Ken."

"What about?" Kennedy asked, rising to her feet.

"Something about what the Coven told him last night," Faith shrugged.

"I'll be there," Buffy promised.

"I take it the Coven didn't have pleasant tidings," Kennedy muttered.

Faith smiled sympathetically. "You know, Ken, you're never going to find a moment when there's not something horrible or terrifying happening around here. You might as well just go for it."

Kennedy smiled lopsidedly and nodded. "You're right," she shrugged. "I just want everything to be perfect for Kara. She deserves that after all that she's been through."

…………………..

"You're getting slow in your old age," Kara taunted.

Angel smiled at her and threw another punch, which the Slayer ducked. "Ever think that I'm letting you win?" He asked.

"You wouldn't let me win," Kara shook her head.

"Why not?" Angel replied, attempting to sweep the girl's legs out from under her. Kara smiled and shook her head. "Because you don't want everyone to find out that you lost to a girl," she laughed.

"A Slayer," the vampire corrected.

"Still a girl," Kara replied as she lashed her fist out. She struck him in the side of the head, knocking him to the ground. "That the best you got, Angel?" She asked.

Angel growled slightly. Grabbing her by the ankle, he pulled her down to the mats on the gym floor. "No," he responded.

Kara chuckled, though the wind had been knocked out of her. When Angel crawled on top of her to try to pin her down, she flipped him off onto his back with her knee. "I hear, if not for Buffy and Faith, you would've lost down there in L.A.," she said as she sprung to her feet.

Angel took his time, rising slowly and circling the Slayer as she began to circle him. "I would've won," he rebuffed her comment.

"Yeah?" Kara raised an eyebrow as she threw a high kick at the vampire, which struck him on the shoulder. He stumbled backward, but remained standing.

"So we were a little outnumbered," he admitted. "Doesn't mean anything."

"I heard there was a dragon." She punched, but this time he blocked it, throwing out his own fist. He caught her under the chin and she moved away, rubbing the sore spot. "Nice," she commented.

"I killed the dragon," Angel boasted.

"Cool," Kara grinned. "I want to kill a dragon."

"I'm sure there are more out there in the world," Angel shrugged. "But until you find one, I'm one up on you."

"Cocky bastard," Kara replied.

"Nope," Angel responded by throwing another punch. "I'm just that good." Kara blocked it, but he grabbed her other arm and twisted it around her back. "So how have things been here?"

"Good," Kara replied, twisting out of his grip and grabbing him in a headlock.

"And the visions?" Angel prompted.

"I'm not sure how Cordy put up with them," Kara admitted.

"I know," Angel grinned as he lashed his foot back and caught the Slayer in the knee. Grunting, she let go of him and fell to the mat.

"They hurt like hell," she admitted between clenched teeth.

"I think it gets easier," Angel said, offering his hand to help her up.

She glared at him momentarily, but took his hand. "Thanks," she said. Angel smiled and walked over to the bleachers, where his towel was hanging. Grabbing the white cloth, he ran it over his face.

"Cordy had a hard time with them at first. I mean, they never get _easy_, but you get used to it," Angel corrected. "They're not so disorienting."

"That'll be nice," Kara snorted as she walked over to the bleachers as well and grabbed her water bottle. Removing the lid, she sucked down the water. "I've been having a hard time trying to figure out what the Powers are telling me half of the time," she stated.

"The Powers have always been confusing," Angel smiled.

"So you're staying in Sunnydale for a while?" Kara asked, sitting down on the bleachers. Angel sat next to her. Some other girls walked into the gym, giggling and talking. They moved over to the punching bags, where they would begin their workout, just like Kara and Angel had several hours before.

"That's the plan," Angel nodded. "I'm not really sure what to do with myself. Wolfram and Hart is gone," he said. "I feel like I've accomplished what I was put here to do."

"And now you just want to rest?" Kara asked.

"That would be nice," Angel admitted.

"I'm not sure if Sunnydale is the best place to rest up," the Slayer joked.

"I know," Angel nodded. "Hopefully there won't be any completely cataclysmic events though."

"Oh, you did it now," Kara laughed. "You do realize if something horrible happens, it's your fault, right?"

Angel nodded resignedly. "I know."

………………………………..

"Something horrible is about to happen," Giles announced to the assemblage of people gathered before him. They were sitting in one of the lounges located in the Council dormitory where Angel was staying. Spread out on numerous couches, the group comfortably waited for him to elaborate.

"Great opening line, Giles," Xander groaned.

"I'm sorry, but it's the truth," Giles said defensively. "We're all adults, there's no point in sugar coating it."

"So what's this horrific event supposed to be?" Kara sighed.

"The Coven believes that someone is trying to open the Hellmouth," Giles explained.

"Oh, come on," Buffy grumbled. "That's so tired. Every demon and his six brothers have tried to open the Hellmouth. Can't they come up with anything more original?"

"It's classic, B," Faith grinned.

"Demons like their routines," Anya shrugged. "It's comforting."

"When did you become a demon psychologist?" Willow asked humorously.

"I was a demon for a very long time," the ex-vengeance demon declared, "naturally I learned a thing or two."

"Naturally," Tara smiled knowingly.

"Do we know anything else?" Angel asked, trying to drive the conversation back to its original topic.

"No," Giles shook his head.

"What about your visions?" Spike asked, glancing over at Kara.

"They might relate, they might not," Kara shrugged.

"What did you see?" Dawn asked. The Watcher-in-training was sitting next to Spike, one of her hands tangled loosely with his.

"Harbinger of the First," Kara answered. "I don't know what he was doing or where he was doing it."

"Can you give us any more details?" Dawn asked, flipping open a notebook in her lap as she began to take notes. Kara raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"My little studious Watcher," Spike grinned.

"What?" Dawn asked defensively. "I like to take notes."

"How did you wind up just like Willow?" Buffy shook her head.

"And that's a bad thing?" Willow joked.

"Well, it'll kill her social life," Xander added.

"How much of a social life do you have as a Watcher-in-training?" Anya wondered.

"Not very much," Dawn admitted.

"As for details," Kara interrupted, "all I know is that it was dark where he was, there were torches, and someone was chanting."

"Do you know what language?" Dawn asked as she scribbled onto her notepad.

Kara snorted. "Honestly, have I ever been good with demon languages?"

Dawn glanced up at her and smiled sympathetically. "I forgot, we can't all be as smart as me."

"You little…," Kara laughed as she reached behind herself and grabbed a pillow cushion to launch at Dawn. The Key ducked behind Spike, who took the orange pillow to the face.

Giles leaned back in his chair and watched as the meeting dissolved before him. Buffy and Faith were smiling as they sat together on the couch. Dawn launched a pillow back at Kara and a pillow war began. Chuckling to himself, Giles wondered how such a ragtag group of individuals managed to survive such challenging opponents as they had. Despite their flaws and weaknesses, they were stronger than any foe and Giles realized that was because they stayed together. His worries over the coming storm faded as he watched the pillows flying through the air and saw the looks of happiness spread on the faces of the people he considered his children. As long as they were together, they could destroy anything.


	5. The Shape of Things to Come

Standing on the Edge of Tomorrow III: Inferno

Notes: Thanks for the reviews. Keep them coming!

Previously:

Chuckling to himself, Giles wondered how such a ragtag group of individuals managed to survive such challenging opponents as they had. Despite their flaws and weaknesses, they were stronger than any foe and Giles realized that was because they stayed together. His worries over the coming storm faded as he watched the pillows flying through the air and saw the looks of happiness spread on the faces of the people he considered his children. As long as they were together, they could destroy anything.

Chapter Four: The Shape of Things to Come:

Spike stood in the doorway of the living room in the Summers residence. The afternoon sun slanted in through the window, casting a pale orange glow on the floor. The rays stretched out to reach him, their slender fingers creeping ever forward, ever closer. He wondered at the sunlight. So long had it been since he felt its tender caress against his ever icy skin. He nearly forgot how it felt. As a man, he had bathed in the sunlight, relishing its warmth upon his face, smiling at its ever present joviality. But as a vampire, he had scorned it for its happiness and its fire. As a vampire, he had hated the light. But all of that had changed. His journey had taken him to a place that he did not expect.

Something stirred inside of his chest that had been sleeping for over a hundred years. He felt as though his heart had awoken and though he had no reason to, he lamented all of the horrible things that he had done. He was a vampire, but he was a man and his soul cried out to him from its dark captivity to allow love to guide him. He smiled, watching Dawn as she sat in the living room, flipping through an ancient text. He thought he recognized it as a demon guidebook, but he couldn't read the language in which it was written. His eyes shifted to the Key's mouth and he saw her whispering something under her breath. She was reading the words aloud, trying to decipher their meaning.

"Homework?" He asked. His voice dispelled the silence that had fallen over the room – the lazy quiet of a Wednesday afternoon. Dawn looked up sharply, jumping slightly at his voice.

"You scared me," she laughed, gently closing the book. Its cover was a tattered piece of leather and a golden 'D' was engraved upon the center. Spike wondered how long the book would last before its pages simply turned to dust – hundreds of years of knowledge blown away by a fitful breeze.

"Sorry, love," he replied apologetically as he moved into the room, avoiding the sunlight with deft steps.

Dawn rose from the sofa to join him in the shadows. "You're up early," she commented.

"I never went to sleep," Spike corrected.

Dawn raised an eyebrow. "What were you doing then?" She asked, feigning suspicion.

"Playing cards with Kara," Spike grinned. "I owe her three more kittens."

Dawn smiled. "You suck at cards, Spike," she laughed.

"Don't I know it," he agreed.

Dawn moved forward, resting her head on his chest and wrapping her arms loosely around his waist. "I have a test tonight," she said, her voice muffled into his shirt.

"Should I let you study then?" Spike asked.

"No," Dawn shook her head. "I already know the material. You know me," she stated, "I over prepare."

"That you do, love," Spike nodded.

Dawn sighed and closed her eyes, relishing the strength of her boyfriend's arms as he held her, the toned flatness of his chest, upon which she rested her cheek. Spike's skin was always cold and his heart never uttered a beat, but she knew that love burned within his chest all the same. She also knew that their relationship was a fragile one. She was human; he was vampire. While she would grow old and die, he would remain young forever. Someday they would have to broach that subject; someday they would have to recognize the differences between them for what they really were. But never did she question her love for him – never did she wonder. "I love you, Spike," she whispered.

Spike smiled softly and kissed the top of her head. "I love you too," he whispered back.

"I don't know what I'd do without you," Dawn confessed, looking up into his face.

"You'll never have to know, pet," Spike replied seriously.

"You swear?" She asked.

At times, when Spike looked into the Key's eyes, he saw a wisdom and a maturity beyond her eighteen years. He saw thousands of years of experience and knowledge floating behind her eyes. Other times, something innocent and childlike behind those orbs reminded him that she was just a girl. "I swear," he promised.

…………………………..

"You work too hard," Tara commented as she entered the apartment that she and Willow lived in at the Council headquarters. It was located at the end of the hallway of the top floor of one of the dormitory buildings. Tara watched over the girls housed within; her caring nature perfectly suited her for the job. As house mother, she made sure that all of the Slayers had everything they needed to keep them happy and safe so far away from home. Willow liked to be close to the Council, as her work often had her in meetings with Giles and the Coven during all hours of the day and night.

"I know," Willow smiled lopsidedly. Tara moved over to her, gently placing her hand on her lover's shoulder. Willow was sitting at her desk, her laptop open in front of her. The screen cast an ethereal, white glow upon her face. The curtains were pulled over the window, blocking out the sunlight. Willow reached back and clasped Tara's hand in her own.

"What're you doing?" Tara asked, squinting her eyes as she gazed down at the screen.

"Fielding some emails," Willow explained. "The Watchers stationed outside of Sunnydale report in weekly as to their Slayer's progress and the demons they've been facing. The secretaries forward the emails with questions or problems to the different departments of the Council, depending upon the nature of the questions."

"So you get all of the magic stuff," Tara concluded.

"That's right," Willow smiled. She closed the lid of her laptop and swiveled in her chair to face her lover.

"No more work?" Tara raised an eyebrow.

"I think it's time for a break," Willow grinned salaciously.

"And what would you like to do during your break?" Tara questioned as Willow rose from her seat. The red haired witch placed her hands on the blonde's hips, gently pushing her back toward their bedroom.

"I can think of a few things," she whispered as she leaned forward and grazed her lips against Tara's pulse point. The blonde gasped in surprise at the feel of her lover's warm lips against her skin.

Willow smiled at Tara's reaction. As she continued to trail kisses from Tara's neck down to her collarbone, ever moving her back toward their bed, her thoughts wondered. She had been so lost before Tara. She had been a shell of the person she was destined to become in high school – always afraid of herself and of what others thought of her. When she found Oz, she thought she had found true love. Though their love was special and always would be in her heart, but she knew that it had been a naïve. When Oz left her, she felt as though her heart had been ripped from its place in her chest, leaving a gaping, bloody hole. But Tara's love had filled that hole. She was complete in ways of which she never dreamed.

Tara reached the bed, her knees buckling as she let Willow guide her down onto the sheets. Moving her lips away form her lover's sweet skin, Willow lifted her eyes to gaze into the blonde witch's face. She saw a love burning within the other woman's eyes that caused a tremor to run up her spine. She was staring into forever. In the swirling passion of Tara's blue eyes, she saw an eternity of love swelling and rising. She knew that as long as she and Tara were together, she would be home anywhere in the world. But a dark thought crept into her mind as she gazed into those infinite blue orbs. She would be lost again if Tara ever left.

"Willow?" Tara questioned, brushing a strand of her lover's fiery, red hair out of her face. "Are you okay, baby?"

"What?" Willow asked, startled out of her thoughts by the sound of Tara's voice.

"Are you okay?" Tara reiterated.

Willow stared down at her for a moment longer before smiling softly. "I'm perfect," she replied.

"You spaced out on me there for a second," Tara said concernedly.

"I'm fine," Willow assured her. "I was just thinking."

"About what?" Tara asked as she leaned forward and captured her lover's lips with her own.

Between kisses, Willow replied, "I don't know what I'd do if I lost you."

"You're not going to lose me," Tara said firmly, pulling away. "I'm right here."

"You are now," Willow whispered.

"I will be always," Tara whispered back.

"Always?" Willow asked, licking her lips hungrily as she gazed down at her lover. Her mood shifted, the blanket of doubt and fear that had settled on her mind vanished. She wanted nothing more than to taste her lover, to feel her shudder in pleasure under her touch.

"Always," Tara swore.

………………………………………..

Kara blinked dreamily. She remembered lying down on the couch in her living room, tired after spending all night playing cards with Spike. Though she found no rest in the dark hours of the night, when the sun rose up over the trees, her eyes felt heavy and she found herself dozing. Though she felt awake, she knew that she was dreaming. The burning sun beamed down on her, hovering directly above her in a vast stretch of blue sky. A soft breeze blew through her hair, touching her face with its warm fingers. She stretched and realized that she was laying on a bed of sand. Sitting up, she glanced around.

She was in the desert. Joshua trees spiked gnarled and rotten out of the earth, their twisted branches reaching toward heaven like demons screaming against God. A haze lay over the sand, distorting everything before her in a shimmering layer of white. Piles of stones deposited by an ancient, exhausted ocean rested about her haphazardly. She noticed a lizard dart between rocks, carefully avoiding the mid afternoon sun. Her skin felt hot and her mouth was dry. A weariness hung about her limbs as she stood and she felt like crashing back down to the ground.

"Dehydration," a female voice behind her spoke. "Would you like some water?"

Kara turned and saw a figure moving toward her. The haze blocked the woman's face until she stood only a few feet from the Slayer. The breeze lightly kicked her long, dark hair out of her face. Kara stared into the deep wells of Cordelia's brown eyes and smiled. "It's been a long time," she commented.

"Well," Cordelia shrugged, "I've got a busy schedule now. Like I said," she repeated, "would you like some water?"

Kara noticed for the first time the water bottle that Cordelia was holding out to her. Gratefully she accepted it and twisted off the lid. Lifting the bottle to her lips, she took a long drink. The water was cool and refreshed her. "What am I doing here?"

"Something's about to happen," Cordelia replied. "I can't tell you what. But I wanted you to know something."

"What?" Kara asked confusedly.

"We all love you very much," Cordelia spoke honestly and gravely. "Just remember that. The shape of things to come is a ghastly one – broken and hunched with the deepest of darkness. But if you have faith and believe in the love that surrounds you, I promise you that you will survive."

"I don't understand," Kara shook her head. "What could be so bad? We know that something is trying to open the Hellmouth, but surely we can stop it."

"Oh, you will," Cordelia nodded. "Of that I have no doubt. It's what comes next that I'm afraid of."

"The visions," Kara stated. "They're so vague. I don't understand. How am I supposed to stop anything if I don't understand?"

"In time, you will see all," Cordelia swore. Reaching out, she gently pressed her fingertips to Kara's forehead. "In time, you will know all. But for now, just remember that we love you. You need not abandon hope. Even in Hell, you will find love."

Kara's eyes shot open and she found herself lying on the couch in her living room. The afternoon sun alighted upon her face. Shaking away sleep, she sat up and rubbed her eyes. "What the hell was she talking about?" She muttered.

"Who?" Kennedy asked as she walked into the room.

"Nothing," Kara replied. "I just had a dream."

"A dream, huh?" Kennedy asked, sitting down next to Kara on the couch. "Anything good?"

Kara smiled wryly. "Not really."

"I'm sorry," Kennedy said apologetically.

Kara looked over at her intently for a moment before she spoke. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Why do you ask?" Kennedy replied sharply.

"Because I can hear your heart beating," the Slayer replied. "You're nervous about something."

Kennedy swallowed hard, smiled, and turned to face her lover. "Well, I have something important I want to ask you."

"Really?" Kara asked, turning to face the other girl as well. "Important?"

"Very important," Kennedy nodded.

"Then you have my undivided attention," Kara smiled.

"Good," Kennedy said softly. "I love you so much, Kara," she began, "more than I thought I could ever love anyone. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Kennedy," Kara started.

"Just let me finish," Kennedy held up a hand. The other was resting in her pocket, fingering the ring box she had been carrying.

Kara shook her head dismissively. "Kennedy," she repeated, gritting her teeth as the first wave of pain struck her.

"Are you okay?" Kennedy asked, noticing the pained expression on her girlfriend's face.

"I think I'm having a vision," Kara groaned as images began to shoot before her eyes. She saw the same dimly lit room with torches lining the walls. She heard the chanting. She saw the Harbinger of the First. But where the images had stopped on previous occasions, the vision continued. She saw dozens of Bringers circling something on the ground. Suddenly, she recognized the place. They were gathered around the Hellmouth. It was opening. The vision abruptly stopped and, panting, Kara looked up at her lover. "They're going to open the Hellmouth," she gasped.

"Who?" Kennedy asked, alarmed.

"The Bringers. They're trying to resurrect the First and they're doing it tonight."


	6. Down We Go

Standing on the Edge of Tomorrow III: Inferno

Notes: Thanks for the reviews and your patience. Keep both of them coming!

Previously:

The vision abruptly stopped and, panting, Kara looked up at her lover. "They're going to open the Hellmouth," she gasped.

"Who?" Kennedy asked, alarmed.

"The Bringers. They're trying to resurrect the First and they're doing it tonight."

Chapter Five: Down We Go:

Kara's hands were trembling. She didn't know why, but she was nervous. She stood in the shadows of the porch that wrapped around the front of her grandmother's house and gazed up into the darkening sky with trepidation. She and her friends fought so many battles together and most of them made it through alive. But Kara knew that one day they would lose someone – someone no one could imagine living without. She hoped that tonight was not that night. After receiving her vision, she called Giles to gather the troops. They would raid the high school at dusk and stop the Bringers from resurrecting the First. The plan seemed so simple. No Turok-Han vampires stood in their way this time; just blind men with knives. But even so, Kara knew that their enemies were dangerous.

The others were gathered inside of the house, collecting weapons, and finalizing plans. They had to wait a few minutes longer so that Spike and Angel could go with them. Once the sun vanished below the line of trees dotting the horizon, they would leave for yet another battle and, hopefully, yet another victory. "You seem deep in thought," Kennedy stated as slipped through the front door to join her girlfriend on the porch.

"No deep thoughts here," Kara replied. "Just wild, unreasonable panic."

"You still get nervous about fighting?" Kennedy asked in surprise. "After all that you've been through?"

"I know," Kara shook her head. "You would think that I would have gotten used to it by now. But it still gets me every time."

Kennedy chuckled. "I guess my big, bad Slayer isn't so big and bad, after all."

"Apparently not," Kara smiled softly. "Listen, Ken, I know you wanted to ask me something back there, before I had my vision. Whatever it was, I want to hear it," she said sincerely, though she didn't know what her girlfriend had been planning to ask. She felt as though she had been neglecting Kennedy the past several months as the burden of her visions grew heavier upon her mind. She desperately wanted to make things right with the younger girl. "I really do," she insisted. "But can it wait until after tonight?"

"Of course," Kennedy smiled and walked over to Kara, wrapping her arms loosely around the dark haired girl's waist. "We should both be focusing on this fight."

"Yeah," Kara agreed. "I know I haven't really been there for you lately."

"Kara," the younger girl interrupted, "you've always been there for me when I really needed it. I know that you have a lot on you right now. I get that and I'm fine with it. I love you, baby," she whispered as she captured the other girl's lips with her own.

When Kennedy pulled away, Kara sighed with relief and smiled. "I love you too," she whispered back.

Before Kennedy could say anything else, Spike opened the front door and walked out. "I think it's time to go," he announced. "I'm not bursting into flames out here."

Angel stepped out from behind the blonde haired vampire. "That's a shame," he joked. Spike glared over at him.

"Impatient much?" Buffy asked as she followed Angel. The others quickly joined them on the porch.

"I want to kick some Bringer ass," Spike shrugged, disgruntled. "I didn't know that was a crime."

"Here," Faith said, moving over to Kara and handing her a knife. "Didn't know if you grabbed anything before."

"Thanks," Kara smiled briefly at her mother. "I had forgotten to."

"Alright ye of the visions," Xander stated, "lead the way."

"We're just going to the high school," Kara reminded them as she took the lead. "I think you guys know the way."

"Oh, but that we didn't," Xander said wistfully.

"High school wasn't _that_ bad," Buffy responded.

"Were you there?" Willow asked.

"Yes," the blonde Slayer said weakly.

"She apparently doesn't remember any of it," Xander joked.

"Shit B, I wasn't there very long, but it seemed like hell to me," Faith commented.

"Well, it is located on the _Hell_mouth," Dawn interjected.

"Can we please focus on the upcoming battle?" Giles asked in exasperation from the rear, where he was walking with several other Slayers that they had brought along for training and backup.

"Always with the doom and gloom," Anya sighed.

"He's British," Tara whispered over to her. The ex-vengeance demon snorted a laugh and Giles rolled his eyes.

"I heard that," he said.

Kennedy watched the interaction with mild amusement, though her eyes were fixated on Kara. The older girl seemed especially agitated that night. She could see her hands shaking slightly. The motion would have been imperceptible to human eyes, but with her heightened sense of sight, Kennedy could see it. Faith dropped behind for a moment to walk with Kennedy, sensing the other girl's unease. "What's up, K?" Faith asked softly.

"Nothing," Kennedy shrugged.

"Did you ask yet?" She prodded.

"I was going to," Kennedy answered, "but then she had a vision."

"Bad timing," Faith noted.

"You're telling me," the younger girl stated. "I'll ask her after this is over with."  
"She's going to say yes, you know. You don't have to be nervous about that," Faith reassured her, misreading Kennedy's anxiety.

"Thanks," Kennedy smiled briefly. Faith nodded and quickened her pace to rejoin Buffy.

"Could you tell how many of them there were?" Spike asked. He, Dawn, and Angel were walking up front with Kara. The two older Slayers were behind them, Xander and Anya only a few steps further back. Willow and Tara were walking with Kennedy.

"No," Kara shook her head. "Not really."

"I think we determined that there was more than one," Dawn reminded the vampire.

"Thanks, love," Spike rolled his eyes. "That's helpful."

"You're welcome," Dawn smiled, ignoring his sarcastic tone.

"You okay?" Spike asked lowly, averting his eyes from Dawn to search Kara's face.

"I'm fine," Kara replied hastily.

"No, you're not," Spike stated.

"I'm just nervous," Kara said dismissively.

"About what?" Spike asked.

"I can't just be nervous?" Kara demanded.

"Spike," Dawn interrupted. "Maybe we should talk about something else."

"Sorry," Spike said apologetically. "I didn't mean to upset you," he said to Kara.

"I know," Kara smiled slightly. "But I'm fine."

"I still get nervous too," Angel smiled over at her. Spike chuckled. "What?" The older vampire asked.

"Nothing," Spike replied.

"You laughed at me," Angel pointed out.

"I _chuckled_ at you," Spike differentiated. "A bit different, mate."

"Whatever," Angel said in frustration.

"We're here," Kara announced as the high school loomed before them. With each step, her fear increased. She sensed something wrong. Something bad was going to happen that night, but she didn't know what.

"Alright guys," Buffy said, immediately falling into battle mode. "We're taking the basement access staircase on the main hallway. From there, it's a short walk to the Hellmouth. We don't know how many Bringers there are in the building or where they're all at, so be wary. Keep your weapons ready."

"We got it, B," Faith nodded.

"Good," Buffy said as she kicked down the front doors of the school. "Let's go."

……………………………….

The main hallway was empty, but Kara could sense the Bringers below them. They moved quickly and quietly to the basement door. She gripped the doorknob tightly and turned it, pulling open the door. A vast expanse of black yawned below her, but her eyes adjusted. "I cant' see anything," she heard Anya whisper as the group started down the stairs.

"Grab onto me," Xander offered.

"Can you see?" Anya asked hopefully.

"No, but at least this way I can cushion your fall," he joked.

Kara's feet finally reached the horizontal surface of the floor. She could hear the Bringers chanting, but the sound was muted and distant. She started walking, the others following behind her cautiously. Raising her knife, she felt her heartbeat increase rapidly as the chanting grew steadily louder and louder. The darkness loomed before her, broken suddenly by the glimmer of fire emanating from torches. The doorway to the Hellmouth was approaching.

"Remember," Kara whispered to the group. "Everyone comes back tonight." Her eyes briefly sought Kennedy's and she smiled at her girlfriend. Then she turned her attention back to the doorway. She could see the Bringers on the other side. Moving forward, she stepped into the room. The group filed in quietly behind her. Buffy stepped forward. The Bringers hadn't noticed their presence.

"Sorry to interrupt, boys," Buffy stated. "But the show's over."

The Bringers whirled around, looking at the group blocking the doorway with blind eyes. Kara always wondered how they could see. The power of the First must have enabled them to, but the First was gone. Apparently, its power still lingered. The first line of Bringers charged at them. A second group backed away, knelt on the center of the Hellmouth, and crouched with a book spread before them, chanting softly. "We have to get to them," Kara motioned to the chanting Bringers. "They're the ones who will open it."

Buffy nodded in agreement, but they could not advance. The Bringers that had charged were pressing them backwards. A monk approached Kara, a knife gleaming silver in the torch light. Kara circled him, dodging as he lunged at her. She swept his feet out from under him and brought her knife down into his chest. But another Bringer quickly took his place. The chanting increased in volume. Kara saw Kennedy, Faith, Buffy all dispatch the Bringers who had initially charged at them. Anya and Xander were fighting off another. Spike had two men taking swings at him with their knives, but he blocked them both. Willow, Giles, Dawn, and Tara were being guarded by Angel and the other Slayers as they prepared a spell to counteract the Bringers.

However, Kara noticed something that Angel had not. A Bringer was sneaking up behind Tara. He grabbed the blonde haired witch by the waist and threw her to the ground just a few inches from the Hellmouth. "Spike!" Kara yelled, grabbing the vampire's attention. "Go to Tara," she instructed. Spike nodded, knocked out both Bringers he had been fighting, and moved over to the witch.

Suddenly, the room erupted in a bright flash of light. Kara groaned. The Bringers had opened a portal to Hell. The earth started shaking. Kara nearly lost her balance, but she managed to stay upright. "Kill the Bringers who opened the portal!" Dawn yelled. "Their blood will close it again."

Kara surveyed the room. She saw that Spike had reached Tara. The rest of the group was entangled with Bringers, unable to move forward. But Kara had an opening. Rushing through the line of Bringers, she fought desperately to reach the circle of men near the portal. She reached as far as Tara and Spike when a sharp pain ran through her chest. A sudden realization struck her and she looked over at her two friends, who looked back at her with fear in their eyes. The portal was expanding and they were in its way.


	7. Death Becomes Us All

Standing on the Edge of Tomorrow III: Inferno

Notes:  Thanks for the reviews. Please keep them coming!

Previously:

Kara surveyed the room. She saw that Spike had reached Tara. The rest of the group was entangled with Bringers, unable to move forward. But Kara had an opening. Rushing through the line of Bringers, she fought desperately to reach the circle of men near the portal. She reached as far as Tara and Spike when a sharp pain ran through her chest. A sudden realization struck her and she looked over at her two friends, who looked back at her with fear in their eyes. The portal was expanding and they were in its way.

Chapter Six: Death Becomes Us All:

Kara heard that the moment before death a person's life flashed before her eyes. All of the important and meaningful moments became a movie trailer with surround sound and with crisp, colorful clarity. But as the clear, blue fingers of the portal touched her skin, Kara did not see anything but white. The portal did not burn her as she thought it would. Instead, her skin became cold where the light touched her. She looked down at she saw Tara and Spike next to her. The light had encompassed all three of them. They were embraced within its luminescence. She tried to turn her head to see the others, but she could not. Tara looked up at her and Kara could see fear in her eyes. She wanted to comfort the blonde haired witch, but she was paralyzed.

She thought that she heard Faith and Kennedy calling to her, but she could not be certain. She no longer recognized any of the voices that she heard. They jumbled together in a soft humming in the back of her mind. Suddenly, she felt herself moving forward. She heard Tara scream next to her. The sound ripped through her like a fire alarm. Then the pain struck her. She felt as though all of the muscles and cartilage in her body were being ripped away from her bones. Her skin was bubbling. The white light filled her entire vision. She felt as though she was floating for several long moments. In those moments, she felt safe and warm. The pain receded. She thought that she was going to survive, but the feeling vanished and everything turned bright, burning red.

…………………………

"Kill the Bringers!" Buffy yelled. "We have to close the portal."

"Buffy!" Faith called to her as she smashed in the skull of a Bringer. "Something's wrong."

"What do you mean?" Buffy asked. She was moving forward, trying to reach the Bringers who opened the portal. The portal had been opened by blood. The blood of the Bringers would close it. Three new Slayers managed to break through the lines of Bringers. They rushed upon the monks who had opened the portal and began to fight.

"The portal is expanding," Kennedy answered for Faith. She, Faith, and Buffy came together across the room from the opening.

"Where's Kara?" Buffy suddenly asked. "She was right near me a moment ago."

"Oh, shit," Faith stated.

"What?" Kennedy asked, looking over at her in alarm.

"She's in the portal," Faith said, her Slayer eyes sensing the form of her daughter within the expanding light. "And so are Tara and Spike."

Buffy's eyes widened as she realized what would happen if the portal closed and her friends were still inside of it. Her eyes shifted over to the three Slayers who were fighting with the targeted monks. Two of the monks were dead on the ground. Only two remained. Before Buffy could call to the girls to stop them, one of them grabbed a knife and sliced open the third monk's throat. The other girl took her stake and shoved it through his chest plate and into his heart.

"Oh, no," Buffy whispered. The portal shuddered. The white light grew so intense that she could no longer look at it. Averting her eyes, she felt her heart start to beat rapidly in her chest. A sinking feeling came into her stomach. Then the room went dark. Glancing back up, she saw that the portal had been closed. Quickly surveying the room, she noted with dread that Tara, Kara, and Spike were gone.

"Where are they?" Kennedy asked anxiously. "They were right there."

"They're gone," Faith stated confusedly.

"What happened?" Willow asked, walking over to them. "Where's Tara?"

"And Spike?" Dawn added, moving over to them.

Buffy took a deep breath and tried to calm her racing heart. "I think….," she started, but Faith interrupted her.

"You've gotta be kidding me," she muttered as the realization struck her.

"What?" Kennedy asked, still oblivious.

"I think they were in the portal when it closed," Buffy concluded.

"They were in the portal?" Kennedy questioned quietly.

"What does that mean?" Dawn asked.

"They're gone," Willow stated aghast.

"Gone where?" Dawn pressed.

"To wherever the portal goes," Willow answered.

"If it didn't rip them apart," Faith said with anguish, throwing her weapon across the room in anger. The knife clanged across the floor.

"Good God," Giles murmured, rubbing his face.

"We have to find them," Kennedy reasoned. "We have to find them," she added more urgently.

"How are we supposed to do that?" Faith asked angrily. "This never should have happened."

"Calm down," Anya said soothingly. "I'm sure they're fine."

"Everything's okay," Xander said as well. "We'll figure this out. We always figure this out."

"A spell," Willow suddenly said. "I could do a spell. Locater spell maybe. Just to find out where they are."

"We could open another portal," Anya reasoned. "To get them back out."

"That's assuming they're alive," Faith growled.

"Stop talking like that," Buffy yelled sharply. "They're still alive."

"Opening a portal won't work," Dawn interrupted. "Think about it. Right now, we don't know where they are. How do we know that they'll be wherever we open the portal? We need help."

"Help from who?" Angel asked.

"Old friends," Dawn said seriously.

"Old friends?" Xander asked in confusion.

"The Powers that Be," Angel smiled. "They can help us. Lucian owes us one."

"So does Callum," Dawn nodded. "They'll help us find them."

"Okay," Buffy nodded. "That sounds good. Faith, what do you think?" She asked, turning to her wife.

Faith was standing a few feet away from her, her hands resting on her hips. Anger burned in her eyes. She looked up at Buffy and nodded slightly. "Okay," She muttered.

"You know how we can talk to them?" Angel asked.

"Cave outside of town," Kennedy replied. "That's where Lucian and Callum left from."

"We're going to the cave, right now," Buffy instructed. "I'm not leaving them wherever they are any longer than we have to." As everyone filed out of the room, Buffy grabbed Faith's arm and pulled her aside. "Are you okay?" She asked lowly.

"I should have done something," Faith shook her head in frustration. "I should have stopped this."

"There was nothing you could do," Buffy insisted.

"She's my daughter!" Faith hissed. "Our daughter. And right now, she could be in some hell dimension or dead. So I'm sorry if I'm not in a better mood," she snapped and walked away.

Buffy sighed and closed her eyes, feeling tears pricking at her eye lids. "Everything is going to be okay," she muttered to herself. "It's going to be okay."

……………………….

They reached the cave. The night was wearing on; dawn was only a few hours away. "The rest of you stay outside," Buffy instructed. "Faith and I are going in."

"But," Kennedy started.

"No," Buffy shook her head. "Not this time, Ken." Kennedy nodded and shoved her hands in her pockets.

"Bring back some good news," she said softly.

Buffy flashed her a small smile and nodded. "Come on, Faith," she urged gently. Faith followed her wordlessly into the cave. Darkness surrounded them as they walked, save for the flickering of the torch light on the walls. They reached the back of the cave and found a small altar. A knife lay next to a bowl of water, in which rose petals floated. "What do we do?" Faith asked softly.

"I have absolutely no idea," Buffy replied.

Faith sighed heavily and reached down, picking up the knife. "Something tells me this is important," she said. Instinct told her to slice the knife across the palm of her hand. Blood trickled out from the wound and fell into the bowl of water. "Do the same," Faith said.

"Okay," Buffy agreed as she took the knife from her lover. She cut her palm as well. As soon as her blood touched the water, a bright light flashed in front of her eyes. When her vision cleared, she found that she and Faith were standing in an apartment on the top floor of a building overlooking a vast city. The wall that they were facing was constructed entirely out of windows. The sky was blue and cloudless. The sun was shining brightly.

A fireplace was set into the wall to her right. A small fire burned within it. "Where are we?" Faith asked, interrupting the silence in the apartment.

"I really have no idea," Buffy answered confusedly.

"You're standing in my living room," someone answered from behind. Buffy and Faith spun around, both shocked to see Cordelia standing in the doorway to a bedroom. "You look surprised," she noted.

"You're one of the Powers now?" Buffy asked.

"Didn't think that would ever happen, huh?" Cordelia smirked. "I've come along way from that bitchy cheerleader you knew."

"I'd say," Buffy muttered.

"This is where the Powers hang?" Faith asked, looking around appreciatively. "It's nice."

"Only the best," Cordelia laughed. "Usually we don't allow mortals up here," she added. "They see our representatives instead."

"But you let us here," Buffy stated.

"Well, you're old friends," Cordelia smiled. "But something tells me you aren't here to catch up."

"No," Faith shook her head.

"What happened?" Cordelia asked. She moved over to the fireplace and sat down on one of the leather chairs circling it. "Take a seat."

Buffy and Faith complied, sitting together on a leather couch. "It's about Kara, Tara, and Spike."

"Oh?" Cordelia raised an eyebrow.

"They were sucked into a portal," Faith continued.

"Which portal?" The Power asked.

"A portal overtop of the Hellmouth," Buffy answered gravely.

Cordelia sharply looked up at Buffy. "The Hellmouth?" She muttered.

"We need to know how to find them," Faith said, her voice pleading slightly. "Can you help?"

Cordelia stood and moved across the room, toward a large fountain in the corner. Water splashed down from a waterfall at the top of the fountain and into a basin just below. "If I can see them, I'll tell you where they are," Cordelia answered.

"What if you can't see them?" Faith asked hesitantly.

"Then they're lost," Cordelia answered softly, glancing back at the Slayer. Moving her eyes back to the water, she reached down and gently touched the surface. Images played before her eyes and, when she turned back to the two women standing behind her, her face was grim.

"Well?" Buffy prodded.

"I'm sorry," Cordelia replied. "But I could not see them. Your friends are lost."


	8. The Valley of the Dead

Standing on the Edge of Tomorrow III: Inferno

Notes: Thanks for the reviews. Keep them coming! Happy Thanksgiving!

Previously:

"What if you can't see them?" Faith asked hesitantly.

"Then they're lost," Cordelia answered softly, glancing back at the Slayer. Moving her eyes back to the water, she reached down and gently touched the surface. Images played before her eyes and, when she turned back to the two women standing behind her, her face was grim.

"Well?" Buffy prodded.

"I'm sorry," Cordelia replied. "But I could not see them. Your friends are lost."

Chapter Seven: The Valley of the Dead:

Red. Kara opened her eyes and saw red. She tried to move, but her limbs would not cooperate with her. Her body felt exhausted. She wanted nothing more than to close her eyes again and fall asleep. The wall of red in front of her vision began to dance and to take shape. She saw layers within it of yellow, blue, and white. Its rhythmic dancing captivated her, entrancing her with it sensuous movement. Her brow furrowed as a strange smell filled her nostrils. She recognized it from somewhere, but she could not place the memory.

"Kara!" She heard a man call her name. The voice sounded far away, but she knew that it was close. Suddenly hands were on her, moving her, taking her away from the dancing light. "Snap out of it, Kara," the man said violently as he slapped her left arm and side. "Jesus, what the hell is wrong with you? You were going to burn to death."

"What?" Kara croaked out, her voice small and broken. Blinking repeatedly, she looked up and found herself staring at an ashen gray sky. No stars twinkled above her. The sky was either covered with clouds, or smoke. Kara didn't know.

"You were on fire, Kara," the man said again. "Couldn't you feel it?"

Kara shifted her eyes to the man, who was kneeling down next to her. His face looked familiar and, after several long seconds of confusion, she recognized him. "Spike?" She asked in surprise.

"Yeah," Spike nodded. "Who the hell did you think I was?"

"I have no idea," Kara shook her head, dispelling the cobwebs that lay on her mind. Spike offered her his hand. She tried to lift her arm to take it, but it felt immensely heavy. Slowly, she reached out and entangled her fingers with the vampire's. He lifted her up into a sitting position. Spike's face was covered with dirt, his hair tousled and hanging in front of his eyes. His jeans were torn at the knees and part of the right sleeve of his shirt had been ripped off.

Kara glanced down at herself and found that she was covered in dirt as well. As she shifted her eyes to her left arm, she became aware of a deep pain and realized that Spike had been right – she had been burning. Glancing behind her, she saw that the red light into which she had been staring was a fire. In fact, as she surveyed her surroundings, she realized that she was lying on a plain that was dotted with thousands of fires springing out of cracks in the ground. In front of her, but far away in the distance to her eyes, a mountain shot out of the ground like a broken, gnarled tooth. She could not see the top of it; it towered into the sky, obscured by the smoke, or clouds.

"Where are we?" Kara asked. Her voice cracked. Her throat was parched.

"I think you already know the answer to that question, love," Spike answered softly, as if speaking to a child. "What's the last thing you remember?"

"The last thing I remember," Kara said thoughtfully. "We were trying to stop the monks from opening the portal to the Hellmouth."

"And after that?" Spike prodded.

Kara ran a weary hand down the side of her face. "I saw that Tara was in trouble. One of the Bringers had grabbed her."

"So you told me to help her," Spike continued. "I ran over there and knocked him away."

"I ran to help as well," Kara nodded. Her face paled as she remembered what happened next. "The portal," she whispered. "The portal opened."

"And we were in its way," Spike concluded.

"We got sucked into it," Kara said, glancing up into his face with fear in her eyes.

"I think we're in Hell," Spike replied grimly.

"Holy shit," Kara murmured, shifting her eyes away from the vampire's face. "Why is it so cold then?" She asked, noticing gooseflesh standing up on her arms. She shivered absently and wrapped her arms around her body to contain her warmth. "I thought Hell was supposed to be hot."

"I guess not," Spike smiled humorlessly. "We surrounded by fire," he said thoughtfully. "But it doesn't give any warmth. Must be some form of punishment."

Kara rose on trembling legs. "Is it day or night?" She asked, looking up into the sky. "I can't tell."

"In-between, I think," Spike answered. "Look over there," he pointed to the line of the horizon next to the mountain. "The sun is either rising or setting." A bolt of lightening lit the sky in a jagged flash of light. Thunder boomed. Vaguely, Kara thought that she could hear screaming. Everything around them seemed to be burning.

Following his finger, Kara saw the giant, blood red orb of the sun lingering on the horizon. "We need to find shelter," she said. "If it's rising, that is."

"I don't think it'll matter," Spike shrugged. "Not if we're in Hell."

"Wait a second," Kara suddenly said, looking anxiously over at the bleach blonde vampire. "Where's Tara?"  
"Tara?" Spike asked.

"She was between us when the portal sucked us in. She should be here too," Kara explained.

"Shit," Spike cursed. "We have to find her."

"Tara!" Kara called out loudly.

"Tara!" Spike echoed.

Another flash of lightening past overhead, following by a boom of resounding thunder. Smoke wafted in front of Kara's eyes. She spun in circles, surveying the land surrounding her, hoping to see the blonde witch. "Tara!" She yelled again, her voice taking a desperate turn.

"Kara?" She heard a voice call back, small and distant.

"Did you hear that?" She asked, laying a quieting hand on Spike's arm.

"Yeah," he nodded. "It came that way," he said, pointing north, toward the mountain.

They started running in the direction of the voice. Kara continued calling out, hope rising in her heart every time she heard a response. Finally, she saw a shape materialize through the smoke in front of her. "Tara!" She called a final time and the shape turned toward her.

"Kara?" Tara asked, relief filling her features when she saw Kara and Spike slow to a halt in front of her. "I've never been so g-glad to anyone in my life."

"Neither have I," Kara said as Tara pulled her into a tearful embrace. She noticed that the witch's stutter had returned. It always did when she was stressed or nervous. "You okay?" She whispered into the older woman's hair.

"Yeah," Tara replied. "Just a little banged up. You?"

"Got a little burned," she said, pulling away to show the other girl the burns on her arm and side.

"I would say that we should wrap those," Tara said dryly, "but I don't think we'll find any medical supplies here."

"You've figured out where we are then?" Spike asked.

"I have," Tara smiled warmly at the vampire and pulled him into a quick embrace as well. The action caught Spike by surprise, but he hugged her back affectionately.

"What are we going to do?" Kara asked when the witch and the vampire pulled apart.

"Got me," Spike shrugged.

"Well, the portal dropped us here," Tara said. "We could wait to see if the others try to open it again to get us out."

"What if they don't?" Kara asked, her voice troubled. "What if they think we're dead?"

Tara sighed and ran a hand through her blonde hair. "Maybe I could open another portal," she said thoughtfully. "I don't know. I'm not as powerful as Willow. I'm not sure I could do it on my own. Besides, we're in a different reality now. Things might not work the same way here."

"You mean the magic could fail?" Kara asked.

"Or it could do something else, something we don't intend," Tara explained. "Magic has a mind of its own. You can only control it so much. We're in a reality of evil now. Anything I do, no matter how pure and good it is, could become twisted simply because we're in this…place."

"We're lost down here," Kara muttered.

"What?" Spike asked, looking over at her.

"We're lost down here," she reiterated. "Our friends can't help us. The only way we're getting out of here is if we find a way to do it ourselves." Silence fell among the group as they contemplated Kara's words, each person knowing that what she said was true. Amidst the silence, a new sound caught Kara's ears. Straining to discern its familiar beat, she turned and saw a cloud of dust moving toward them. "What is that?" She asked, squinting her eyes to attempt to see through the dust.

"Hellhounds," Spike said suddenly. With his vampire eyes, he saw the beasts as clearly as if they had been standing before them. Their eyes glowed red through the veil that cloaked them. Spittle hung and dripped from their jowls in a net of thick, white liquid. Their paws pounded into the earth. "Someone knows that we're here."

"Run," Kara instructed, grabbing Tara by the arm and pushing her in the opposite direction. "Run now!" They took off in the other direction, the hellhounds closing the gap between them with every second that past.

"Head for the mountain," Spike yelled to the two girls running ahead of him. "We might find a place to hide."

Though the mountain had seemed quite far away to Kara as they had been standing and talking, she realized that it was rather close. Distance didn't hold the same meaning in Hell as it had in her reality and she imagined that time didn't either. The sun still lingered on the horizon, as if there it perpetually waited for God to tell it to rise or set. But God didn't exist in Hell. Tara was starting to lag in front of her. Kara could sense the witch's exhaustion. "Keep running," she said encouragingly. "We're almost there." Tara nodded, gulping audibly as she tried to summon the strength to keep going.

They reached the foot of the mountains, Tara stumbling as she ran. Her muscles were spent. "I can't go any further," she panted. She could barely breathe. She needed water, but none was to be had. The hellhounds were close now. Kara could see the red of their eyes piercing through her flesh. She shuddered to think what they would do to her if they caught her.

"I see an opening in the mountain side," Spike said as he surveyed the base of rocks. "It's not far up. We can hide there."

"Come on," Kara said, helping Tara climb up the rocks. "We can rest in a minute."

"I'm so thirsty," Tara groaned.

"Me too," Kara replied sympathetically. "But we have to hang in there. Maybe we can find some water."

"Hurry up," Spike said from the outcropping of rocks forming a floor just in front of a fairly concealed hole in the mountainside. A black cave yawned before them, its entrance guarded with withered, brown brush and a few stumpy, gnarled trees that rose out of the earth like splintered bones. Tara fell to her knees as she reached the rocky shelf. Moving over to her, Kara lifted the witch up and carried her into the cave.

Several moments past before Kara could see. Those moments were pure terror for her as she stood surrounded by perfect darkness. She could hear the hellhounds whining and baying at the base of the mountain. Their claws scratched against the rocks as they tried and failed to climb and a chill ran up her spine. "We should go further in," Spike suggested. "They didn't see us enter. They might not find us."

"We don't know what's in here," Kara reminded him in a harsh whispered as her eyes adjusted to the dark. "There could be something worse."

"That's a risk we'll have to take, love," Spike said firmly. "We can't go back out there. Not with those things waiting for us. They may have lost sight of us, but I don't think they'll give up that easily."

Kara reluctantly followed Spike further into the cave. The darkness surrounding her was ominous and deep. The air in the cave was colder than the air outside had been, but somehow less cruel. Perhaps it was because she couldn't see the fires that should have given them warmth, but didn't. No fires burned inside of the cave. As they advanced further into the mountain, the path widened. Kara began to hear noises from ahead. She found herself smiling when she recognized the sounds as the trickling of water. "You hear that?" She asked the blonde witch fading in and out of consciousness in her arms. "There's water in here."

"Water?" Tara asked weakly.

"Yeah," Kara nodded.

"Over here," Spike directed. Light was filtering in through a crack in the ceiling. A small, but strong beam shone down on a dark pool of water. They had reached the back of the cave.

"Do you think it's safe?" Kara asked lowly.

"I don't know," Spike shrugged. "I guess we'll find out."

Kara laid Tara down on the hard, stone floor and moved over to the pool of water. Gathering some in her hands, she carried it back to the blonde woman and placed her hands in front of her mouth. "Drink," she said softly. Tara lifted her head shakily and took some of the water into her mouth.

"It's good," she sighed when she had drank the water in Kara's hands. "Cool."

"Just rest for now," Kara instructed after she drank some of the water herself and sat down next to the older woman. Spike was kneeling over the pool, drinking some of the liquid out of his hands. The Slayer looked down at the woman resting next to her and sighed with relief when she saw that she was sleeping peacefully. Her eyes studied Tara's face and, for a moment, a sinister thought crossed her mind. An image of Tara flashed before her eyes – bloodied and broken. For just a moment the image lingered and, though it sickened Kara, she found some part of her heart rejoicing at the thought of death and violence. Shaking her head, she closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead roughly.

"Are you okay?" Spike asked, looking back at her worriedly.

"Yeah," Kara replied without thinking. "I'm fine," she furthered. The feeling faded and she turned away from Tara, unable to look at the blonde witch anymore. She glanced down at her hands, which were scratched and bleeding from the climb up the rocks to the cave, and she wondered briefly what hidden strength lay in them that she had yet to discovered, what hidden evil.


	9. Unraveling

Standing on the Edge of Tomorrow III: Inferno

Notes: Thanks for the reviews. Keep them coming!

Previously: Unraveling:

"Are you okay?" Spike asked, looking back at her worriedly.

"Yeah," Kara replied without thinking. "I'm fine," she furthered. The feeling faded and she turned away from Tara, unable to look at the blonde witch anymore. She glanced down at her hands, which were scratched and bleeding from the climb up the rocks to the cave, and she wondered briefly what hidden strength lay in them that she had yet to discovered, what hidden evil.

Chapter Eight:

Dawn closed the door behind her. She stood in the dark at the top of the stairs. Moonlight filtered in through the basement window. She hadn't expected the night to end like this. If she had known that those last moments as they entered the school would be her last with Spike, she would have acted differently. She would have told him how much she loved him. But she didn't get the chance. Instead, she had rattled off some sarcastic comment that she couldn't even remember. She couldn't remember the last thing that he had said to her either. All she remembered were Kara's words, "Everybody comes back tonight."

But they hadn't. Three people didn't return. Dawn knew that it was bound to happen eventually. They had been so lucky. They defeated the First and Lucifer without losing any of the core members of the group. Callum's death had been tragic, but it only affected Kara in any tangible way. However, Kara, Spike, and Tara had ingrained themselves in the Scooby Gang. Living without them wouldn't just be difficult, it would be unthinkable. Yet, Dawn knew that everything had changed. They were gone and the others would have to pick up the pieces and learn to live with only the memory of their beloved friends.

Dawn felt tears sliding down her cheeks. She knew that she had to move forward, but her feet wouldn't budge. She could see Spike's bed from where she stood at the top of the stairs. A shirt was lying on it. He had changed just before leaving that night. Dawn gripped the doorknob still clutched between her fingers tightly as a sob ripped through her body. Covering her mouth with her other hand, she released the doorknob that was steadying her and slid down to the floor. Her tears fell more rapidly. She felt as though she couldn't breathe. Her body jerked with each sob that tore through her. Closing her eyes tightly, she buried her face in her hands.

She couldn't believe that he was dead. Spike was so strong. He had survived for over a hundred years. She had been looking forward to spending the rest of her life with him. Now she felt as though someone had cut off one of her arms, but she still thought it was there, could still feel the pain and the pain was unbearable. All of her hopes and dreams for her life had been wiped away in a single moment. Her future, once so bright and full of love, was now empty. A yawning, black abyss stretched out in her mind. Rubbing her eyes fiercely, she willed herself to stop crying, but failed.

"Dawn, honey?" Joyce tapped hesitantly on the closed basement door. "Talk to me, sweetie."

"Go away," Dawn mumbled angrily.

"Dawn?" Joyce tried again.

"Go away!" The former Key yelled. She heard her mother sigh through the door. Soft, patient footsteps trudged away and Dawn sighed with relief. She couldn't deal with anyone.

When Buffy and Faith reemerged from the cave that led to the Powers that Be, Dawn knew that Spike was dead. She could see it on their faces – the devastation in Faith's eyes, the sheer hopelessness, and the stone wall in Buffy's. Faith was feeling the pain; Buffy was blocking it away. But all Dawn had to do was look in their eyes and she knew the truth. She didn't wait for them to explain. She just started running. She hadn't stopped until she reached home. She knew that her mother was worried about her. But Buffy would explain everything. Dawn didn't have the heart to form the words.

Rising on shaky legs, she walked down the stairs. The moonlight illuminated her sad eyes as she walked over to Spike's bed. She had slept just above him. How many nights she laid there, wondering what he was doing, wondering what it would feel like to fall asleep wrapped in his arms, she could not say. She would never find out. She hesitantly lowered herself on to the bed and choked down another sob. Picking up his shirt, she hugged it to her chest. Spike's distinctive scent flooded her nostrils and, this time, she allowed a fresh sob to take life. Clutching the shirt desperately, she curled up into a tight ball on the bed, and cried herself asleep – shivering and alone.

…………………………..

Kennedy glanced through the kitchen window and saw Faith sitting on the back porch. The house was dark when she entered. When Buffy and Faith exited the cave, her heart had surged with hope that her lover would be found. But then she saw Faith's eyes and she knew differently. Never before had she seen such hopelessness in the older Slayer. The group disbanded after receiving the news, everyone leaving to deal with the deaths of their friends in their own ways. She hadn't thought that anyone was home when she opened the front door, but she had spotted Faith shortly after entering the kitchen.

Though Kennedy appeared calm, a storm was raging inside of her. She felt as though someone was squeezing her heart. Tears threatened to fall, but she fought to hold them back. She was a Slayer, she had to be strong. Her hand went down into her pocket, her fingers closing around the small box located there. She thought of the ring held inside and of all that it symbolized. A single tear escaped and rolled down her cheek. Squeezing her eyes shut, she breathed in deeply. Kara was gone. She still couldn't believe it. She knew that more tears would come when the shock dissipated. But for now, she felt numb, save for the pain that was shooting through her chest.

"Where's Buffy?" Kennedy asked as she opened the back door and joined Faith. The dark haired girl swallowed a lump in her throat at the thought that Kara would no longer come through the front door. She no longer lived there. It was only three of them now.

"She went to her mother's house," Faith replied with a rough voice. Kennedy knew that the older girl had been crying. So had she, but she knew that more tears would come soon. She was still in shock.

"Oh?" She asked as she sat down next to Faith on the stairs.

"She went to find Dawn," the older Slayer replied.

Kennedy nodded and wrapped her arms around herself to block out the wind. "I never got to ask her," she mumbled.

"What?" Faith asked, glancing over at the younger girl.

"I never got to ask Kara to marry me," Kennedy said louder. "I was going to, but she got that vision. Then we left and she said we would talk after we got back tonight. But now she's…," Kennedy faded. "Well, I never got to ask her."

Faith breathed in deeply, a fresh batch of tears sliding down her cheeks. "She would have been so happy with you," she whispered with a shaky voice. "I can't believe she's gone."

"I know," Kennedy nodded, wiping away the tears that were spilling down her own cheeks. "What are we gonna do now?" She asked desperately. "She was everything to me."

"I never thought I would be a mother," Faith replied, glancing up at the moon. Tears sparkled in her eyes. "But then Kara came. I never knew that I could love someone so much."

"I can't stay here," Kennedy said suddenly, rising to her feet. "I feel like there's a thousand bugs crawling underneath of my skin."

"Get some stakes," Faith instructed quietly.

"What?" Kennedy asked, looking down at her.

When Faith looked back up at her, the tears were gone, but Kennedy could see the icy glimmer of the Slayer lurking behind her eyes. "We're going hunting."

…………………………….

Willow closed the door to her bedroom quickly and efficiently. The others had left the cave crying and mourning. But Willow hadn't. She had a plan. She stood in the darkened bedroom that she had shared with Tara and, for a moment, her resolve faded. She could smell Tara's perfume. It was a soft and flowery scent that hung lightly in the air. Some of Tara's clothes were laid out on the bed. Tara had changed from her teaching clothes to gym clothes just before they left for Buffy's house. As Willow glanced around the room, she thought that she could see Tara standing in front of the closet.

_"What should I wear for this?" Tara asked, glancing back at Willow, who was standing in the doorway waiting for her to finish getting ready._

_"Fighting clothes?" Willow shrugged. "I don't know."_

_Tara smiled patiently. "I guess I'll need to be able to move freely. But I don't anticipate doing any fighting. I thought we were there for magical support."_

_"That's the plan," Willow smiled and folded her arms across her chest. "But you never know."_

_"You'll keep me safe if something happens, right?" Tara asked sweetly as she stripped off her light, blue blouse and tossed it onto the bed. Willow's eyes instinctively dropped to her lover's chest and she felt shivers running up and down her spine._

_"Of course," she responded absently, her mouth suddenly dry. _

_Tara smiled knowingly. There was a time that being gazed at in such a manner would have caused Tara to redden with embarrassment, but now she loved the attention that Willow lavished upon her. "Like what you see?" She flirted openly._

_"You know I do," Willow said huskily._

_"Want to see more?" Tara teased, easing down the zipper of her black pants._

_"I want to see everything," Willow replied, striding forward. Pulling Tara toward her, she pressed on her lover's lips a burning kiss. "But," she said when she broke the kiss, "we have to be there in fifteen minutes."_

_"Can't be late, huh?" Tara asked disappointedly._

_Willow smiled and shook her head. "Not this time," she replied apologetically. Licking her lips hungrily, she glanced down at her lover's body again. "But when we get home tonight, we'll finish what we started."_

_"Do I have your word Ms. Rosenberg?" Tara asked teasingly._

_"Absolutely."_

"Tara," Willow whispered to the empty room as the vision of the blonde haired witch faded from her sight. Growling slightly, she held back the tears that threatened to fall. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. When her head shot up, her eyes glued to the ceiling, they were black. Dark, blue swirls of light formed in the room and a fork of lightening flashed from the ceiling. Willow's hair, once red as flame, transformed into a muddled, murky black.

"By Osiris, I command you, bring her back!" She yelled angrily, but confidently. Her voice was different, as though possessed by someone darker – someone rooted in blackness. "Hear me keeper of darkness!" She shouted again. The swirls of light began to move faster. Lightening flashed.

"Witch! How dare you invoke Osiris in this task!" A voice boomed from the swirling light. Willow thought that she could see a form in it and the image chilled her to the bone.

"Please!" She yelled again. "Please," she pleaded softly.

"Osiris cannot help you," the voice explained indifferently.

"But," Willow started, only to be interrupted.

"You have no right with Osiris," the voice replied.

"Please bring her back!" Willow begged, dropping to her knees in front of the form in the light.

"She is lost," the voice said softly. "She is lost. Osiris cannot find her. It is done."


	10. Wake up Little Girl

Standing on the Edge of Tomorrow III: Inferno

Notes: Thanks for your reviews and your patience!

Previously:

"Osiris cannot help you," the voice explained indifferently.

"But," Willow started, only to be interrupted.

"You have no right with Osiris," the voice replied.

"Please bring her back!" Willow begged, dropping to her knees in front of the form in the light.

"She is lost," the voice said softly. "She is lost. Osiris cannot find her. It is done."

Chapter Nine: Wake up Little Girl:

Tara slept restlessly for several hours before she awoke and found herself staring up at the black ceiling of a cave. Through the tangled webs of her tired mind, memories of what had happened in the high school basement came to her and she remembered why she was lying on a hard, rocky floor. However, her slumber wasn't entirely uncomfortable. She was leaning against a soft, warm body. Instinctively, she thought that the person was Willow, but then she remembered falling asleep against Kara, fatigued and emotionally drained from their harrowing escape from the hellhounds. That thought brought Tara's consciousness fully aware and she sat up straight.

"You okay, love?" Spike asked, noticing her sudden movement. He was sitting cross legged against the opposite wall. The dim, red light shining in through cracks in the cave roof played odd shadows on his face. His eyes gleamed. Tara thought something looked off about his expression, but it suddenly faded from his face, and she saw the familiar, warm hearted Spike she knew staring at her again.

"I'm fine," she said softly. She glanced over at Kara, who was still sleeping. "I just remembered where we are."

"Ah," Spike smiled and nodded. "Scared you, did it?" He asked and again Tara saw something sinister lurking in his eyes, as though he was excited that she was frightened.

"A little," she admitted uncomfortably. "Spike…," she began, "Are you okay?"

Spike sighed and the look vanished. "I can't say I like it down here," he grumbled. "Just being here makes my skin crawl. Like something's moving underneath of it."

"I know what you mean," Tara whispered, rubbing the goose pimpled flesh of her forearms absently. "How long has she been sleeping?" Tara asked. She knew that Kara had been having trouble sleeping back in Sunnydale. She was surprised to see the Slayer sound asleep here – wherever they were.

"Not very long," Spike shrugged. "She was watching over you for a while."

"And you?" Tara asked, looking at him again. "Did you sleep?"

"I woke up just before you," Spike nodded. "Had some awful dreams though," he said distantly, his eyes glazing slightly.

"About what?" Tara asked, but he didn't seem to hear her. "Spike?" She said louder. The blonde vampire turned his gaze to her. "What did you dream about?"

"I can't remember," he said quickly, but Tara thought that she saw a look of shame cross his face as he averted his eyes. Before she could pursue it, Kara stirred next to her. Her eyes fluttered open and, for a moment, Tara saw the same confused expression on the black haired girl's face that she knew had been on her own just seconds before.

"Hey," she said softly, so as not to startle the Slayer.

Kara shifted her eyes over to the witch and smiled. She glanced around the cave quickly and seemed to sigh with relief. "I see we're all still here."

"That's right," Spike said, clapping his hands together. "No hellhounds found us napping."

Kara moved away from Tara and stretched the muscles of her arms and back. The last cobwebs of sleep were dissipating from her mind when she stated, "I guess we should talk about this."

"Yeah," Tara agreed.

"Where to start?" Spike wondered aloud.

"First thing's first," Kara decided. "We need to agree on where we are exactly."

"Well," Tara said thoughtfully, "we got sucked into the Hellmouth."

"I think it's safe to say that we're in Hell," Spike said grimly.

"Okay," Kara nodded. "I just wanted to make sure we were all on the same page in that regard. We're in Hell. So that begs a bigger question."

"Which is?" Spike prompted.

"Are we dead?" Tara stated, anticipating Kara's line of reasoning.

"That's right," Kara nodded. "Are we dead?"

"I don't think so," Spike shook his head.

"You don't count," Tara smiled. "You're already dead."

Spike rolled his eyes. "Thank you, Caption Obvious," he replied.

"Spike's right," Kara said, ignoring their playful banter. "I don't think we're dead either. I don't feel dead at least. I'm breathing anyway."

"Can't say the same," Spike joked.

"I'm breathing too," Tara replied, taking a deep breath as example. "So we've determined that we're not dead. But we are in Hell."

"Does that mean that we have a chance to get out?" Kara asked.

"What do you mean?" Tara inquired.

"Well, we don't belong here," Kara explained. "Only the dead belong in Hell."

"The dead and demons," Spike reminded them.

"Fair enough," Kara acquiesced, "but even so, you're not a typical demon."

"You have a soul," Tara acknowledged.

"So you don't belong here either," Kara thought aloud. "There has to be some kind of hierarchy here, right?"

"I see where you're going with this and I can't say that I like it," Spike interrupted.

"Why not?" Kara asked.

"You're proposing that we just waltz up to Lucifer and ask him for a bus ticket home because we accidentally fell into his world," Spike anticipated. "I hate to remind you, but Lucifer isn't exactly best buds with us right now. We beat his sorry ass."

"Besides," Tara said, taking Spike's side, "I don't think he would work with us anyway. He'd probably double cross us in the end."

Kara sighed heavily. "You're probably right. But how else are we going to get out of here?"

"We could wait to see if our friends try to open another portal," Spike suggested. "We can see the entire plain from the mouth of the cave. If they opened a portal, we'd see it."

"We don't know if we'd be able to reach it in time," Kara replied. "It could close before we reached it."

"If they even can open a portal," Tara interjected. "They may not be able to. Or, they might be able to, but won't because they're afraid that opening the Hellmouth again would do more harm than good."

"Weighing the good against the bad," Kara nodded. "The bad would win in that scenario."

"I agree," Spike nodded. "Buffy and Faith love you, but Giles would convince them that opening the portal again would cause infinitely more harm."

"I don't know," Tara shrugged her shoulders. "The love of a mother may be stronger than the call of the Slayer."

"I think we've determined that we can't rely on them," Kara decided. "If we do, we could be waiting forever."

"What about you?" Spike asked, turning his blue eyes to Tara. "Can you open a portal?"

"Like I said before," she said, her voice troubled, "I don't know. It would be risky."

"Run through the risks again," Kara instructed.

"Firstly," Tara admitted, "I may not be strong enough. Willow is a powerful witch. With her, I could do anything, mostly because she can do anything. Without her," Tara shook her head, "I'm not so sure."

"Let's assume for the sake of argument that you are powerful enough to open a portal. What would the next problem be?" Spike asked.

"I'm not very knowledgeable about portals," Tara stated. "I could open one," she said thoughtfully, "but I don't know that it would take us where we want to go."

"What do you mean?" Spike asked.

"There are many worlds," Kara said darkly. "I know, I came from one of them."

"I could take us there inadvertently," Tara said.

"That's not a place you want to go," Kara shook her head.

"No," Tara smiled sadly. "It's not. I could accidentally take us there or someplace worse."

"Or you could take us home," Spike said.

"I could," Tara said slowly. "Possibly."

"Are there anymore risks?" Kara asked.

"Yes," Tara nodded. "The most important problem of all is the fact that we're here at all. We're in Hell. Everything here is evil. Even if I tried to use magic to achieve some noble end, the fact that this place is so evil could distort that end and cause chaos back in our world. This place could bend my actions to its will and use the portal to release more evil into the world."

"And that would not be good," Spike said, but when Tara looked at him again, she saw that unfamiliar gleam in his eyes.

"No, it wouldn't," Kara said thoughtfully. "Still, I don't see any other way."

"We have to get out of here," Spike said, shivering absently.

"Yes, we do," Tara nodded. "I'm just not sure this is the way."

"Do you have any other ideas?" Spike asked.

"Actually, I do," Tara said. "For now, we don't we look around? See if we can't find something to help us here?"

"You think there's anything here that could help us?" Spike asked. "You just said that this place was evil through and through."

"It is," Tara smiled wryly. "But I have a feeling that we might find something that could help us. I don't know why," she added softly. "It's just a feeling."

"You women and your intuition," Spike chuckled. "What do you think Kara?" He asked.

The dark haired Slayer was gazing intently at Tara. "I think if she believes that we should check this place out, we should."

"Okay," Spike nodded. "I'm with you then." Rising to his feet, he stretched. "Let's not wander far though," he suggested. "There's water in this cave. I don't think we want to waste that resource."

"You're right," Kara nodded. She rose to her feet as well and Tara followed suit. Spike began to walk to the front of the cave and when Kara moved to follow him, the blonde haired witch laid a stopping hand on her arm.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" Tara asked quietly.

"What is it?" Kara asked concernedly.

"It's about Spike. I think there's something a bit off about him," Tara replied.

"Off?" Kara asked.

"Yeah," Tara nodded. "The way he looks at both of us sometimes. Some of the things he says. He has this strange gleam in his eye."

"What're you trying to say?" Kara inquired.

"I think this place is getting to him," Tara suggested. "He mentioned something about a dream, but when I asked him about it, he lied to me. He looked ashamed. I don't know, Kara. I just think something's wrong."

Kara didn't reply for several long moments. She remembered falling asleep with Tara leaning against her. She had seen a flash of Tara dead and some part of her had enjoyed the vision. Whatever was affecting Spike was affecting her as well. But she didn't want to tell Tara that. "I'll keep an eye on him," she said finally.

Tara nodded, as if satisfied. "Okay," she said.

Kara smiled tightly. "Let's go have a look around."


	11. Blood and Alcohol

Standing on the Edge of Tomorrow III: Inferno

Notes: Thanks for the reviews. Keep them coming!

Previously:

"What're you trying to say?" Kara inquired.

"I think this place is getting to Spike," Tara suggested. "He mentioned something about a dream, but when I asked him about it, he lied to me. He looked ashamed. I don't know, Kara. I just think something's wrong."

Kara didn't reply for several long moments. She remembered falling asleep with Tara leaning against her. She had seen a flash of Tara dead and some part of her had enjoyed the vision. Whatever was affecting Spike was affecting her as well. But she didn't want to tell Tara that. "I'll keep an eye on him," she said finally.

Chapter Ten: Blood and Alcohol:

The blood was warm when it sprayed onto her face, like the pelting rain of a summer thunderstorm. The coppery scent infused her senses and drove her wild. She was an animal stalking the night. She was the Slayer. The demon fell before her in a bloodied heap of flesh and bone. She stepped over it as it lay dead on the grass of the cemetery. Another demon appeared before her and she swung her fist out at its face. The sickening crunch of its nose smashing under the force of her hand filled her ears. It wailed and stumbled away, holding its ruined face. The sensation of pain entered her consciousness and she looked down at her hand. Her knuckles were worn raw, blood streaming from lacerations across her fingers, some of which were bent at odd angles.

She tried to flex her hand, but found that she couldn't. The demon collected itself, growled, and lunged at her while she was distracted. Tackling her to the ground, it sat atop of her, locking her to the grass with its knees on other side of her body. It reared back its fists and brought them down onto the sides of her head. White light shot in front of her vision and in the stars that swirled before her eyes she saw the face of her daughter. Faith laughed aloud as the demon struck her in the side of the head again. She knew that she should be in pain, but she couldn't feel anything. The insatiable and insane desire to laugh overcame her and the sound stopped the demon from continuing its attack.

"What are you laughing at?" It asked in confusion. Blood was smeared across Faith's face, stinging in her eyes, and running into her mouth. When she didn't respond, the demon glanced up, surveying the other Slayer. The younger girl mercilessly was beating one of its kin with a pipe. The other demon's face barely resembled anything living. It looked back down at Faith, overcome with a sickening feeling in its stomach, and scrambled off of her. "Crazy bitch," it muttered as it took one last look at her and fled into the night.

Faith lay on her back on the wet grass in the cemetery, staring up at the stars twinkling in the dark night sky. Lifting her uninjured hand to her face, she wiped the blood away from her eyes. She heard the sound of Kennedy massacring the other demon. Every time the pipe hit its flesh, it emitted a low, dying moan. The thudding sound of metal against bone reverberated down to her very soul. "Kennedy?" She called after several long moments, when the dying whines of the demon had ceased.

"What?" The other girl answered exhaustedly.

"Help me up?" Faith asked. She tried to sit up, but her head swam and waves of dizziness crashed through her. She felt the side of her head, dismayed when her fingers caught in her hair sticky with blood.

Kennedy approached the older Slayer and offered her a hand. "You look like shit," Kennedy said bluntly.

"So do you," Faith noted as she stood on wobbly legs. Kennedy had been stabbed in the side, just underneath of her ribcage, with the pipe she used to kill her attacker. Blood ran freely from the wound, staining her white tank top a dark shade of red that looked almost black.

"I feel kinda woozy," Kennedy acknowledged.

"We should go to the hospital," Faith discerned. Kennedy nodded and the duo started walking. A cool wind blew through Faith's hair. It was a beautiful night.

"That was fun," Kennedy said, breaking the silence.

"Yeah," Faith agreed. "We should do that more often."

"What happened to your hand?" Kennedy asked, noticing Faith cradling her right hand close to her body.

"I don't know," Faith shook her head. "What happened to your leg?" She shot back, noticing Kennedy limping as they walked.

Kennedy shook her head as well. "I don't know. Can't remember."

"It just takes you, doesn't it?" Faith asked softly.

"What?" The younger girl asked, looking over at her interestedly.

"Whatever it is that makes us Slayers. If you give into it, it just takes you," Faith explained. "I can't even remember half of that fight."

"Me neither," Kennedy acknowledged.

They turned onto the street that led to the hospital. Dimly before them they could see the glowing red light of the emergency room sign. They passed through the sliding doors and ambled up to the reception desk. When the nurse behind it saw them, she immediately called for help. "What happened to you?" A doctor asked, appearing next to Faith. Another appeared next to Kennedy and led her away from the older Slayer to an examination room.

Faith let the man standing next to her lead her away as well. She sat on the examination table and allowed him to inspect the wounds on her head and hands. But she never answered any of his questions. While he was setting her hand, Kennedy also was being examined. "What caused this?" A doctor asked as he surveyed the wound on her side.

"Metal pipe," Kennedy answered perfunctorily. Now that the battle was over, and the adrenaline was dissipating, she felt exhausted.

"A metal pipe?" The doctor asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't ask," Kennedy warned, glaring down at him. He smiled and nodded.

"I'll just stitch you up," he said.

Kennedy watched him work, gazing intently at the needle violating her wound as he stitched up the laceration. While he stitched up another deep cut on her leg, she let her mind wander. She had never felt as free as when she was decimating the demon she left lying in the graveyard. The violence was so pure, so instinctual. Every punch or kick brought her closer to the Slayer. She could feel that spirit taking over her body, pushing her consciousness further and further back until she wasn't aware of what she was doing anymore. She had become the Slayer in body and soul. The feeling lasted just for a moment, but it was addicting.

"All done," the doctor announced.

"What about my friend?" Kennedy asked.

"I'll have to check," he stated.

Kennedy nodded as he walked out of the examination room. Rubbing her temples, she tried to ward off the wave of sadness that suddenly struck her. She was still in shock over Kara's death. The thought that she would never kiss her lover again would creep into her mind unbidden and cause a deep pain in her heart. Shaking her head, she muttered, "I really need a drink."

…………………………..

Faith opened the door to the house slowly and quietly. She had a bad concussion and a broken hand. Every little noise sounded amplified to her ears. The doctors had told her not to sleep, but she was tired and she knew that her Slayer healing would have her fixed by morning. She just wanted to crawl into bed and forget that the world existed. Closing the front door, she glanced around the darkened house. She couldn't hear movement anywhere and she wondered if her wife was home. As she began trudging up the stairs, she became aware of a soft, sniffling sound emanating from her bedroom. She stopped in the hallway outside of the door for a moment and listened to Buffy softly crying from within.

"Faith?" She heard the blonde Slayer call tentatively.

Faith opened the door and stepped inside of the room. The lights were off, but the moonlight filtered across the bed, casting shadows on the walls, and lighting her lover as she lay curled in a ball on the comforter. "I'm right here," she said hoarsely. She was starting to feel the pain of her wounds. She had refused the pain killers the doctor offered her and she was starting to regret that decision.

"Where have you been?" Buffy asked, sitting up in bed. She was still wearing her clothes. Faith could see tear tracks lining her cheeks. Her mascara was smudged and her hair was sticking out at odd angles, but the dark haired Slayer thought that she looked beautiful.

"Hunting," Faith said. "I was with Kennedy."

"You went on patrol?" Buffy asked in surprise.

"Yeah," Faith nodded and slowly began untying her boots, but the process was difficult with one hand.

"Are you okay?" Buffy asked, noticing her slow progress.

"Got a little banged up," Faith admitted as she pulled off one boot and threw it aside.

Buffy rose to her feet and moved over to the younger girl. Taking her hand gently in her own, Buffy inspected the wound. "Is it broken?" She asked. Faith nodded and kicked off her other boot.

"Yeah," she replied.

Buffy could see cuts and bruises on the sides of Faith's face as well. Cupping her cheeks, she looked into her lover's eyes. "What else?" She asked.

"Concussion," Faith answered.

"Jesus, Faith!" Buffy hissed, turning away.

"What?" Faith asked confusedly.

"You could have been killed," Buffy said tearfully.

"I'm right here," Faith replied forcefully.

"Just like Kara was?" Buffy questioned. "You're not invincible, Faith!" The older girl yelled.

"Fuck," Faith muttered, shaking her head. "Don't yell at me."

"I'm sorry," Buffy said quietly. "But I needed you here."

"You were with Dawn," Faith argued. "I needed to get out and so did Kennedy."

"Where is Kennedy?" Buffy asked.

"I don't know," Faith shook her head. "She said she needed some air. I came home."

"You left her out there?" Buffy asked incredulously.

"She's fine," Faith insisted. "She's a big girl." Buffy sighed and moved back over to Faith, pressing herself against the younger girl as she wrapped her arms loosely around her waist and rested her head on her shoulder. Faith sighed and retuned the embrace, rubbing soothing circles on the other girl's back. "I'm sorry I worried you," she whispered into Buffy's hair. She pressed a kiss to the top of her head and Buffy looked up at her. The blonde Slayer leaned forward and captured Faith's lips with her own. The kiss was slow at first, lips sliding over lips. But it became more intense. Buffy opened her mouth, allowing Faith's tongue to caress hers.

As Buffy kissed her, Faith felt the other girl undoing her belt and unzipping her pants. "Buffy," Faith started, breaking the kiss, but the blonde Slayer pressed her finger to her lips to silence her.

"Just make love to me," she pleaded. Faith gazed into her eyes for a moment, memorized by the raw need that she saw shining back at her, and nodded.

"Okay," she said and led her wife back to their bed.

……………………………

Kennedy slammed the shot glass down on the table. The music was deafening in her ears, the bass thudding from within her. The Bronze was alive with people swarming and dancing. She could smell their sweat and feel their need. She picked up another glass and downed the shot without hesitation. The alcohol burned down her throat and she slammed the glass down. The club was starting to swim before her eyes. People blended together; the lights swirled before her eyes; the songs ran together. She rose shakily to her feet and walked over to the bar again. Calling for more drinks, she slid her money across the bar to the bartender. She took the shot glass in between her fingers and raised it to her lips.

Dawn found her slumped over her table at the Bronze, the surface of it littered with scattered shot glasses. Anya and Xander nodded to the bartender as he pointed out the unconscious Slayer. Anya slipped one of the girl's arms over her head as Xander did the same. Together, they lifted her up and dragged out of the club. The fresh air hitting her face revived her momentarily, but her head lolled against Anya's shoulder as she flitted in and out of consciousness. They carried her over to Xander's car and loaded her into the backseat. As Anya closed the door, she glanced up into the sky. She could see the sun rising in the east, but a cold wind was blowing, and she shivered.


	12. Old Enemies, New Places

Standing on the Edge of Tomorrow III: Inferno

Notes: Thanks for the reviews. Keep them coming!

Previously:

"You could have been killed," Buffy said tearfully.

"I'm right here," Faith replied forcefully.

"Just like Kara was?" Buffy questioned. "You're not invincible, Faith!" The older girl yelled.

"Fuck," Faith muttered, shaking her head. "Don't yell at me."

Chapter Eleven: Old Enemies, New Places:

"Let me go first," Spike declared protectively as they reached the opening of the cave. "Those hellhounds might still be out there."

"We'll wait here," Kara said distractedly as Spike crept forward through the darkness toward the dim red light ahead of them. Tara looked over at her concernedly, but remained quiet. The dark haired Slayer wrestled with her thoughts for several long minutes until she finally spoke in a low whisper, "Do you think this place could be doing something to us?"

"What?" Tara asked, having heard her question, but not understanding its implications.

"You spoke to me about Spike," Kara clarified. "You said that you thought he was acting strangely."

"That's right," Tara nodded in affirmation.

"Thing is," Kara continued, looking down at her shoes and kicking at the dirt of the cave as she spoke, "I don't think it's just him."

Silence filled the cave as Tara processed what her friend had just said. She suddenly felt very alone. "What do you mean?" She asked solemnly.

"I don't know," Kara shook her head, sniffling away tears that were threatening to fall. "It's just…," she faded. "I feel different."

"Different how?" Tara pressed.

"I feel like there's something inside of me," Kara whispered, her voice haunted. "Something sinister. Something evil. Something that's trying to break free."

"Do you think something happened to you when you got sucked in through the portal?" Tara asked, curiosity overwhelming her fear.

"No," the younger girl shook her head quickly. "That's not it," she added.

"How do you know?" Tara questioned.

"I've felt this before," Kara admitted.

Tara's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "What do you mean?"

Kara's brow furrowed as she thought, trying to make sense of the emotions that were running through her. "Sometimes I've felt like something dark was lurking beneath the surface, waiting for a chance to come out. Like there's this violent thing inside of me."

"There is," Tara whispered quietly.

"What is it?" Kara asked pleadingly, looking over at her friend with unshed tears shimmering in her eyes.

Tara smiled sadly. She knew that the other girl was struggling and her answer would offer her no peace. "It's the Slayer, Kara," she replied. "That violent thing inside of you _is_ you."

Kara closed her eyes and smiled slightly, nodding her head. "I thought that was what you would say," she said lowly.

"We're in a place that magnifies evil," Tara explained thoughtfully. "Evil was born in Hell and it will be here forever."

"What does that have to do with me?" Kara asked, opening her eyes and looking over at her.

"The Slayer isn't human. It isn't demon…not quite. It's a combination of many things – some of which are rooted in darkness," Tara responded. "Part of you is darkness. This place will latch onto that and bring it out."

"And it will do the same with Spike because he's a demon," Kara said as the reality of their situation suddenly dawned on her. "If we don't get out of here soon, it'll take both of us."

Tara nodded gravely. "I think you're right," she replied unevenly.

"You shouldn't be with us," Kara turned to her, "we're too dangerous."

"Not yet," the blonde witch shook her head. "But you will be soon. Do me a favor?" She asked with a small smile. "Let me know if you have the sudden urge to kill me, okay?"

Kara gazed at her intently for a moment. The intensity of her eyes scared Tara and she moved away a step. "I will," she replied quietly.

"It's safe," Spike said, suddenly appearing in the darkness. "The hellhounds are gone." He looked back and forth between the two women, seeing their serious expressions and frowned. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," Kara replied quickly. "Nothing you need to worry about. Let's go," she instructed and walked away.

"Tara?" Spike pressed.

"Don't worry about it," Tara said, stepping forward and gently cupping his cheek with her hand. She smiled and started walking. Spike stared after her for several long moments and followed.

As Kara reached the opening of the cave, a cold breeze struck her skin and she shivered. She became aware of a throbbing pain in her arm and side, where she had been burned upon coming through the portal. The landscape surrounding the mountain was desolate and Kara doubted if they would find any food, but she knew that they wouldn't be able to survive long without sustenance. Further, she knew that trying to open a portal would require more strength from Tara than the witch would be able to muster with an empty stomach.

"Quite depressing, isn't it?" Spike commented as he and Tara joined her. They stood on the ledge leading to the cave, which overlooked the trail they had used to climb the mountain and the plain stretching out endlessly in every direction.

"Hey," Kara said, suddenly realizing something as she looked down at the trail. "That's a pretty good trail for a completely desolate and uninhabited place."

Spike looked over at her sharply and smiled, catching onto her line of thought. "Someone had to make that trail."

"I wonder who?" Tara questioned.

"And I wonder if they're still here somewhere," Kara added.

"Actually, I think we should be wondering more if they're friendly or not," Spike said grimly. When he saw the expressions on the girls' faces, he rolled his eyes added, "Sorry to be a downer."

A bolt of lightening lit up the sky above them and a boom of thunder resounded. Kara tilted her head to look into the sky and noticed that it was covered with black clouds. "Does it rain in Hell?" She asked.

Spike looked at the clouds doubtfully. "I don't know," he said.

"Let's not wander too far," Tara advised. "We don't know what's out there."

"Besides," Kara added, "the cave is a safe place and we know that it has water."

"Come on," Spike said, leading them down the trail.

The trio walked for an hour before they began to feel fatigued. They first walked down the trail, trying to see if it branched off in any direction, but it appeared to run in a single course. Then they walked back up the trail, past the cave, and further toward the peak of the mountain, which was wrapped in clouds. The air became colder the higher they climbed and Tara started having trouble breathing as the air thinned. Finally, they stopped. The trail snaked ahead of them, but they couldn't see the end of it. Tara sat down on a rock, trying to catch her breath as Kara surveyed the rocks.

"I don't see how any living thing could survive here," she said.

"We don't know that any living thing," Tara paused to collect her breath, "does live here."

"I thought there were supposed to be sinners in Hell suffering terrible torments," Spike replied. "Shouldn't we have stumbled into said sinners suffering said torments?"

"That's a good point," Kara said thoughtfully. "Unless we're the sinners and this is our torment."

"But then we'd be dead and I thought we determined that we were all very much alive," Tara countered. "Well, except for Spike."

"Good point," Spike agreed.

"We should head back to the cave," Kara sighed. "There's nothing on this mountain.

Spike helped Tara to her feet, who smiled at him gratefully. They had expected Tara to become exhausted from the climb, but neither Kara nor Spike expected to feel so tired as well. With each step, Kara felt as though a little more of her strength was being diminished. She wondered how much she had left. She could only imagine how Tara must have felt. Kara knew that her fatigue was a result of the thinned air and the fact that she hadn't eaten in twenty-four hours. But she had hoped not to feel the effects of her hunger for at least another couple of days.

They trudged in silence, no one having the will to try to speak. Finally, Kara stopped and sat down on a rock. "I need a break," she panted.

"Thank God," Spike murmured as he lowered himself to the ground.

"I wonder how long your male pride would have kept you from admitting that you were tired," Tara wondered jokingly.

"Oh, I think a good bit of time more," Spike grinned.

"What do you think they're doing right now?" Kara asked suddenly.

"Who?" Tara questioned.

"The others," Kara replied. "Buffy, Faith, Willow, Dawn," she said. Then she added in a low whisper, "Kennedy." She missed her lover terribly. Sometimes she wondered why Kennedy stayed with her. She was often distracted, suffering from the visions and that mysterious darkness that resided within her heart. But Kennedy loved her and Kara was grateful for it. She never imagined that she would find someone as beautiful inside and out as the younger Slayer. She never imagined that she would someone that she loved so deeply.

Spike heaved a heavy sigh and ran a hand through his blonde hair. "I don't know," he said quietly. "But I miss Dawn."

"I miss Willow," Tara whispered.

"I miss Kennedy," Kara spoke softly. Leaning forward, she rested her elbows on her knees and ran her hands over her face. In the silence, she could feel the darkness stirring within her. Every second that past brought Hell closer to her heart. She looked up and saw a pained expression on Spike's face and knew that he was experiencing the same thing. Tara, however, remained tranquil and Kara knew that she was immune to whatever device Hell was employing to corrupt them.

"I bet they're frantically searching through all of Giles' books, trying to find some way to open a portal," Spike grinned. "I can just see them."

"Xander on a doughnut run," Tara added.

"Anya making some depressing, pessimistic speech," Kara joked. "Or that could be Buffy."

"We'll get back there," Tara said firmly. "If they can't get us back there, I will," she promised.

Kara looked over at her in surprise. "I thought," she started, but Tara interrupted her.

"I know. We talked at great length about how dangerous it would be for me to try to open a portal. But we can't stay here…for many different reasons," she said cryptically. Spike didn't understand her words, but Kara did. "I will get us out of here."

Kara smiled her first genuine smile since they had been sucked through the portal, as a glimmer of hope began to rise in her heart. For the moment, it extinguished the darkness. "Let's get back to the cave," she said and rose to her feet.

The cave was closer than any of them expected and they almost walked by it without noticing that it was there. Tired, hungry, and thirsty, they stumbled their way through the mouth of the cave just as it began to rain. At first, Kara didn't sense anything amiss as they walked further into the darkness. But then the hairs on the back of her neck stood up and she stopped in her tracks. Someone was in the cave. She could feel a presence behind her. Turning, her blue eyes flashing through the shadows, she picked out a form. "Who's there?" She asked harshly as Tara and Spike stopped and turned to see what was wrong.

The figure moved forward and Kara clenched her fists at her sides, ready to attack. "Relax," a man said, lifting his hands to indicate that he wasn't looking for a fight. "I'm here to help you."

Kara recognized the man's voice, but she couldn't place it. "Who are you?" She asked again.

The man stepped into the light and Kara heard Tara gasp behind her. "I think you remember me. My name is Robson," he said.


	13. Waiting

Standing on the Edge of Tomorrow III: Inferno

Notes: Sorry for the long delay. I've been working on my novel like a fiend.

Previously:

The figure moved forward and Kara clenched her fists at her sides, ready to attack. "Relax," a man said, lifting his hands to indicate that he wasn't looking for a fight. "I'm here to help you."

Kara recognized the man's voice, but she couldn't place it. "Who are you?" She asked again.

The man stepped into the light and Kara heard Tara gasp behind her. "I think you remember me. My name is Robson," he said.

Chapter Twelve: Waiting:

Kennedy watched the sunset outside of the window of Xander and Anya's apartment. The sky was red. Toward the center, everything glowed bright orange. The trees on the horizon looked like they were on fire, their branches swaying in the sky painfully as the world ended around them. But toward the edges, the sky was starting to turn black. Reflecting in her eyes, the sun sank and sank until it passed out of view. The red diminished. The orange faded into purple. The black increased until it spread over the entire sky and covered everything in darkness. She could see the shadows advancing. Streetlamps popped on one by one, lining the streets with false brilliancy. Something inside of her stirred.

The Slayer was waking up again. She could feel it hungering inside of her. Her fingers trembled; she could feel every vampire in Sunnydale as they moved into the blackness blanketing the town. Her heart beat increased - gradually, at first, and then until it pounded torment against her chest plate. She felt like she couldn't breathe anymore. Sinking to the soft carpet underneath of her bare feet, she clutched at her throat, struggling to suck air in through her nostrils. She started panting. Stars pricked at her eyes, dizzying her mind. Tears slipped through her squeezed shut eyes. Sobs tore through her throat.

Falling forward, she planted her palms on the floor and cried. The sky turned entirely black, the sun a mere memory as night fell and stayed. The front door opened. Kennedy could hear the click of it as the lock unlocked and the soft swoosh as the metal slid against the floor. She heard feet step onto tile. A bag fell onto the floor. Someone was rushing over to her. She felt arms encircle her, pulling her backward. She was leaning against someone's chest. "It's okay," a rough, male voice said. At first, she didn't recognize it. Then she heard familiar strands in its halting rhythm.

"Xander," she choked out.

"It's okay," Xander repeated. "Just let it out."

"I can't," Kennedy hissed. She tried to stop crying. She tried to bury the weakness, bury her sadness, and bury her love. She didn't know how to live anymore. She didn't know how to continue. Everything had been ripped out from underneath of her. She wanted to feel again, but she knew that if she did, she would have to forget everything that had come before – she would have to forget Kara. She wasn't ready for that. So she wanted to stay numb. She wanted to lose herself in the Slayer again. She wanted to feel bones crushing underneath of her able fists, taste the blood of demons spraying into her mouth as she slammed knives into their flesh, and hear their screams as they died under her piercing gaze.

"Yes, you can," Xander insisted. "I know it's hard."

"You don't know anything!" Kennedy yelled, trying to push away from him, but he held onto her.

"She was my daughter," Xander reminded her gently. "She was a part of me, just like she was a part of Buffy and Faith. Just like she was a part of you."

"Don't say that," Kennedy pleaded. "Don't say was."

"She's dead," Xander whispered in her ear. "I know it's hard. But we can't change that no matter what we do. We just have to accept it. I'm not saying you have to move on. I know that I never will. I'll never forget her; she'll always live somewhere in my memory. She'll always be the first thing I think of when I wake up in the morning and the last thing I think of when I fall asleep."

"I can't do this," Kennedy muttered dejectedly. The tears were falling down her cheeks silently now.

"You have to," Xander replied grimly. "There's no other choice."

………………………………..

The computer was beeping at her, something flashing on the screen. Under normal circumstances, Willow would have rushed over to it, eager to read the message awaiting her. But now, she didn't care. She cared about nothing but what lay before her. She sat in a circle. She was surrounded by stones, by salt. She waited for the power to come. She waited to feel again. Candle lit flickered on the walls, the only light in the room. Night had fallen outside and she was waiting. She knew that Giles was worried about her. Her phone had been buzzing silently on her desk. He had been calling, but she hadn't answered.

She wasn't sure why. She wanted to answer, to hear his familiar voice and that comfortable English accent. But she remained in the circle. She waited for the power. She evoked the power, but it didn't come. So she waited. The phone started buzzing again. Part of her reached out for it. Part of her wanted to realize him how lost she was, but he didn't. He just called. No one knocked on her door. None of her friends came. They were afraid, afraid to deal with her grief, afraid to see the emptiness in her eyes, the hollowness. She knew that the others were suffering. Buffy and Faith had lost a daughter. Kennedy had lost a lover. Dawn had lost a lover. But even so, Willow felt like she had lost more.

"Come," Willow muttered. "Come to me now." Nothing happened. She sat in the circle. The candle light flickered. The stones waited. The salt waited. She waited. She was about to give up when she felt something come into her. Something entered into her body, entered into her heart, entered into her soul. That something was black. It was blacker than the night, blacker than the darkest corner of Hell and it reveled in her grief. She could feel it infecting every cell of her skin. Her eyes drifted closed, her mouth fell open, and her head fell back. Ecstasy filled her. Darkness filled her. Evil filled her.

If she had opened her eyes and glanced into the mirror, she would have seen them staring coldly back at her, completely black instead of green. She would have seen her red hair changing, transforming, mutating into something else. She would have seen the blood in her veins turn dark. She would have seen the evil that lay within every demon on the earth staring back at her and she would have loved it because when it came, when the darkness came, she saw Tara again. Her lover stood before her, her blonde hair flowing out behind her as if moved by some invisible breeze. Her eyes flashed seduction at Willow and she could do nothing but sit paralyzed in her circle while Tara moved toward her.

"Tara," she whispered. The blonde witch bent at the hip, cupping Willow's cheeks as she pressed her lips against the other girl's. Willow felt a flash of brilliant pain shoot through her. Then Tara vanished. She fell back onto the floor. Her black hair splayed out behind her, already starting to turn red again. She chuckled. At first it was small, a short laugh that escaped by accident. Then the laughter came and wouldn't stop. She felt like she was high. She felt like she was drunk. Willow didn't know it, but she was. The black blood running through her veins had taken a hold of her mind and she was slowly losing herself to the darkness.

…………………………

"Honey," Joyce said, knocking absently on the bedroom door. "Don't you want to go out? Be with your friends?"

Dawn didn't even look up from her book. "No," she replied simply.

"But you haven't been out for a week now," Joyce reminded her. "You used to go out all the time. Your friends have been calling. Why don't you go with them to the movies, it'll do you some good."

"I'm busy, Mom," Dawn replied. "Can't you see I'm trying to work?"

"You can study later," Joyce insisted. "Go have some fun."

"Mom!" Dawn yelled, turning sharply back toward her, finally lifting her eyes from the page of the ancient text lying open in front of her. "I have a test tomorrow. I need to study for it."

"You've been studying all week," Joyce said softly.

"This test isn't going to pass itself," Dawn muttered.

"Honey," Joyce said, taking a step forward into the room, but thinking better of it. "I'm worried about you."

"Everything is fine," Dawn said weakly.

"No," Joyce said firmly, "it's not. You're not fine. You can tell me that you are all that you want. But you're not. Ever since Spike…"

"Don't," Dawn said warningly. "I'm busy now. I'll go out when I have less to do. But right now, I have to study. Leave me alone," she insisted.

Joyce sighed heavily and nodded. "I don't know what to do anymore, Dawn. I just don't know what to do." Throwing her hands up in the air, she turned and left. Dawn could hear her footsteps padding down the hallway. A tear traced itself down her cheek. She wanted to run to her mother, let the older woman circle her arms around her and tell her that everything would be okay. She wanted to be fourteen again and believe that her mother could make the world right. But she wasn't fourteen anymore. She had grown up and she knew that the word mommy didn't hold any power anymore. She was alone and she had to deal with her sorrow alone.

Shifting her eyes back down to the text in front of her, she began to read. She didn't know how to deal with the tumult of emotions running through her, so she threw herself into her studies. She wanted nothing more than to become a Watcher and lose herself in the work. Spike had been proud of her. He loved that she was so smart and so dedicated. She couldn't see why her mother didn't love that about her too. Groaning in frustration, she slammed the book shut and pushed it off of her desk onto the floor. Night had fallen. She and Spike would have been walking the drag of Main Street, watching a movie, or just talking. But she was alone and she would remain alone.

……………………….

Faith sat in darkness. Cloaked in the shadows of the night thriving just outside of the bedroom window, she sat in an easy chair watching Buffy sleep. The blonde haired Slayer's chest rose and fell as she breathed. _Life_, Faith thought. Everything was so full of life but that one person whom she needed to be breathing the most. Faith never thought that she would be a mother. She never imagined that she would grow to love someone so much that the merest thought of that person not being there would crush her soul. Kara had wiggled into her heart. Memories flitted through her mind. She saw Kara standing at the foot of her bed when she awoke from her coma. She saw Kara with tears in her eyes as she watched Faith and Buffy exchange vows. She saw Kara tied to a chair and bleeding when Cassius had taken her mind. Finally, she saw Kara, standing on the edge of a portal, in her very last moments of life.

Faith couldn't cry anymore. As she sat in the shadows, she tried. She tried to sob and mourn and grieve like a normal person would. But she couldn't. She could see the tear tracks staining Buffy's face. Her wife had been grieving, working through the process, stage by stage, as she released her sadness. But Faith was stuck. Shifting her gaze, she looked out of the window at the globular moon rising over the tree in the front yard. The night was quiet. To the untrained ear, it would have sounded peaceful. But Faith knew what lurked under the streetlamps disguised as man. She knew the creatures that charmed and seduced their way through life, taking blood, taking breath, taking everything that mattered the most.

Buffy stirred and Faith glanced back at her. She knew that the older girl was worried about her. She knew that Buffy could see through her simple smiles and platitudes. But Faith didn't care. She didn't care about much of anything. There was a point in her life when she would have wanted nothing more than to be curled up next to the beautiful woman lying in front of her, sharing warmth and sleeping in contentment. But something had changed in her. Something had snapped. She could feel it. The moment she heard the words whispered by Cordelia, _Your friends are lost_, something instead of her gave way. A taut cord had been stretched and burdened in her mind and it had collapsed.

She didn't know how to pick up the pieces. Her life beckoned her, her job beckoned her, but none of it mattered anymore. Part of her resented Buffy for moving on. Part of her wanted to move on as well, rejoin the current of life. But she stood on the sidelines and watched and resented and lost herself in every moment of anger and rage that she allowed to consume her. Unknowingly as she sat and thought, she dug her fingernails into her palms. She felt the warmth before she smelled the blood. Prying open her hands, she glanced down at the half moon shaped rings pressed into her flesh. They filled with blood, overflowed, and filled again.

The scent of blood brought her to her feet. The Slayer was anxious; it wanted to feed on the life of darkness. She moved through the room to the door, where she stopped and threw a regretful glance over her shoulder. Buffy was sleeping soundly. Her tears had stopped. A small smile had formed on her lips. Faith's heart hurt, she yearned to rejoin her lover in bed, but she resolutely left the bedroom, closing the door softly behind her. She walked deliberately, her feet guiding her toward the nearest cemetery. She knew the routes by heart. When she arrived, her senses warned her of the presence of another. Kennedy was waiting for her. They would hunt again.


	14. Community

Standing on the Edge of Tomorrow III: Inferno

Previously:

The scent of blood brought her to her feet. The Slayer was anxious; it wanted to feed on the life of darkness. She moved through the room to the door, where she stopped and threw a regretful glance over her shoulder. Buffy was sleeping soundly. Her tears had stopped. A small smile had formed on her lips. Faith's heart hurt, she yearned to rejoin her lover in bed, but she resolutely left the bedroom, closing the door softly behind her. She walked deliberately, her feet guiding her toward the nearest cemetery. She knew the routes by heart. When she arrived, her senses warned her of the presence of another. Kennedy was waiting for her. They would hunt again.

Chapter Thirteen: Community:

"Robson," Kara growled. "What're you doing here?" She asked. She stepped in front of Tara, shielding her from the potentially dangerous man before them.

"It's Hell," Robson chuckled. "What do you think I'm doing here?" He asked. Holding up his hands harmlessly, he said, "Besides, I shot myself. Suicides go to Hell right?" He chuckled. "But I have to admit that I did a lot more than that. I deserve to be here."

"Yeah, you sided with the First bloody Evil," Spike ground out between clenched teeth. "You do deserve to be here. But, you better get out of here, mate. Or I'll make you get out of here."

"Can you die here?" Kara asked thoughtfully and predatorily. "I mean, I know that you're already dead. But what would happen if I killed you again? Would you just poof, reappear somewhere for me to kill you a third time?" She circled around Robson, her fists opening and closing as she eyed him warily. Tara gazed at Kara suspiciously. The Slayer was acting strangely, violently. She wondered if Kara really would kill the man standing helplessly before her, even though he already was in Hell.

"I don't know," Robson admitted. "Maybe you'd like to find out."

"Don't test me, asshole," Kara said lowly.

"Nor me for that matter," Spike said angrily.

"Guys!" Tara yelled. "Let's calm down. As far as we know, there's no reason to kill anyone yet, okay? So just relax." When Kara's muscles relaxed, she continued. "Robson obviously came here to talk to us about something. Why don't we listen?"

"He's a traitor," Spike said. "Why should we listen to him?"

"Because we don't really have any other choice," Tara said. "Sure, we could kill him. But where would we be then? Right where we are now, with no clue how to get home. Maybe he can help us."

"That's right," Robson interrupted. "I can help you."

"Bullshit," Kara shot back.

"I'm not lying to you," Robson insisted. "I really can help you. That's why I came here."

"Sure," Spike said sarcastically.

"How can you help us?" Tara asked questioningly.

"I'm not the only one here," Robson said. "There are others, just like me. Just like you."

"Not just like us," Kara said. "We're not here because we're evil. We're here by mistake."

"It doesn't matter," Robson replied dismissively. "You're here whether you're meant to be or not."

"So what?" Spike growled.

"We have a community here, in hiding," Robson explained. "Avoiding the demons. Avoiding the hellhounds. Trying to survive without inflicting anymore damage on ourselves than necessary."

"A community?" Tara asked hopefully.

"Don't listen to him," Kara said scornfully.

"Kara," Tara said patiently. "I think we should. Just be open minded."

Kara scoffed, folded her arms across her chest, and shook her head. "Whatever," she said.

"Fine," Robson said. "So you don't want to live happily ever after in our little neighborhood," he joked. "Maybe I can do better than that."

"Better how?" Spike asked curiously.

"I can help you get out of here," he said.

Kara lifted an eyebrow at this. "Oh really?" She asked.

"Sure," Robson said. "You think Ms. McClay here is the only witch in Hell?" He asked and smirked. "You'd be surprised how many witches we've got here. You'd be surprised how many Slayers," he added pointedly.

"Why are you trying to help us?" Tara asked.

"A couple of reasons, actually," Robson said and sighed. "I know you don't belong here. We all felt it when you came into this reality. We knew something went wrong. If you shouldn't be here, we don't want you here. The longer you stay, the more demons and hellhounds start pouring out of the cracks and fissures of this place to try to find you, the more likely it is they'll find us instead. I can't say I want that," he explained. "Besides," he added somberly, "maybe I feel guilty over what I did to all of you."

"You feel guilty?" Kara said incredulously. "That's a laugh."

"I do," Robson said. "I betrayed my oath to the Watcher's Council. I betrayed everything that I believed in, everything that I fought for. All for what? A demon? Evil? You may not believe me," he said, "but I am sorry."

"This community," Kara said begrudgingly, "where is it?"

"Sheltered by the next mountain," Robson said.

"Does that mean we're going?" Tara asked.

"You said you can help us get out of here?" Spike asked. "Get back to where we belong?"

"I can," Robson confirmed.

"Than yes," Kara said reluctantly. "We're going."

……………………………

The next mountain looked deceptively close, but as they quickly discovered, it lay much farther away than it appeared. They walked for what seemed like hours, but the mountain lay the same distance away. Sweat poured down Kara's back as she walked. Her head swam. "How much farther?" She asked.

"I know it seems like a long way," Robson admitted. "But we'll be there soon. I promise."

"Your promises mean very little to me," Spike said.

"I understand that," Robson said. "But we'll still be there soon."

Tara had nearly collapsed by the time they reached the mountain. "She needs water," Kara said, pointing back at her. Tara stumbled along, staring blankly in front of her.

"Just hang on a little longer," Robson said. "A little longer."

They reached the other side of the mountain as a new storm broke in the sky. Thunder boomed mercilessly and lightening streaked in the air. But rain didn't fall. Water didn't miraculously pour down the heavens onto cracked and bleeding lips. The dry, dusty air blew on their faces, tainting their mouths with dirt. They reached a series of caves. Inside of them, Robson and his community lived. 'We're here," he announced.

"What about these witches?" Spike asked. "Can we talk to them?"

"Let's get you some water first," Robson suggested.

He let them drink and then led them through the caves, which sprawled deep below the mountain. Torches it the darkness, dispelling the shadows. They reached a cavernous room. In its center, a circle of women sat. They were holding hands and murmuring something in a language that Kara couldn't understand, but Tara smiled. "They're praying for us," she said.

One of the witches looked up and nodded to Tara. "You must join us," she said. "You must sit with us. Together, we can open another portal. Together, we can get you out of here."


	15. Repercussions

Standing on the Edge of Tomorrow III: Inferno

Previously:

"Does that mean we're going?" Tara asked.

"You said you can help us get out of here?" Spike asked. "Get back to where we belong?"

"I can," Robson confirmed.

"Yes," Kara said reluctantly. "We're going."

Chapter Fourteen: Repercussions: 

Anya sighed as she sat on the cold, concrete floor of the storage room and took inventory. The Magic Box was closed for the evening; she was the only one left. Dawn, who came to study after her lessons, had packed up and scrambled home just as the sun was dipping below the horizon. Spike had walked her home everyday before he was sucked into the portal that had killed him. Dawn had stayed later those days; she didn't have to worry about the sun. Spike had protected her. But he wasn't around anymore. Anya glanced down at her watch and put her clipboard aside. She couldn't concentrate.

Stacks of inventory surrounded her – unaccounted for inventory, inventory that should have been on the shelves making her money but wasn't. But she hadn't been able to get through it all. Her thoughts kept drifting to Kara, Xander's daughter, her step daughter so to speak. She had always felt a connection with the Slayer from the future. When she first started hanging out with the Scooby Gang, she knew that they all judged her. They thought Xander deserved someone better. Not an ex-vengeance demon, not some goofy girl who didn't know when to keep her mouth shut – someone normal. They eventually grew to love her and accept her as their own, but Anya still remembered those early days. Kara never looked at her like that. Kara never thought she was weird because of the things she said. Kara just accepted her right away, with any questions or hesitation.

Xander would be coming for her soon. He picked her up at night; he didn't like the idea of her walking home alone. Everyone was more careful these days, except Kennedy and Faith. Those two showed up for training with Giles like walking bruises. Sometimes, one of them wouldn't come. The other wouldn't say anything, but Anya knew. When Faith showed up alone, that meant Kennedy had been too badly beaten to get out of bed, and vice versa. Giles was worried about them both. He tried to talk to them with Buffy by his side, but they laughed in his face, and Buffy's, and walked out before he could finish. They were reckless when they patrolled, taking on too many vampires with not enough stakes or backup.

The late nights, the subsequent drinking, the injuries, and the shouting matches were all taking their toll on Buffy and Faith's fragile marriage. Anya wondered how much longer it would last. She wondered how long Buffy would take it before she walked out. She wondered how long Faith would survive at the rate she was going before something killed her. Sighing again, she ran a hand absently through her brown hair. Leaning against the wall, she closed her eyes. It wasn't all Faith's fault. Buffy could have done better. She could have tried to understand. But she didn't. She closed herself off, refused to show any weakness, any emotion. Faith didn't need someone yelling at her. She just needed someone to understand, to wait for her while she worked through her grief and anger. But Buffy didn't want to wait. She wanted to forget.

On the backs of her eyelids, she could see the whole thing happening again. She could see the portal opening, her friends stepping too close to it. She could see the empty space left behind when it closed and they were gone – Spike, Kara, and Tara. Tara – the witch's name brought another flood of worry to Anya's mind. Everything was falling apart around her – everyone was falling apart. She and Xander suffered too, but they were the only ones dealing with the pain healthily. Willow was the worst. She hadn't seen Willow in a week. But she could feel Willow. She could feel the red haired witch growing stronger by the day, but losing herself as well.

Willow was experimenting with black magic. No one knew about it, no one but Anya, and Anya didn't know for certain. She only knew what she felt. The roots of the earth were crying out. Willow was fading into something else and Anya didn't know what to do. She thought about telling Giles, but she knew that the witch would only laugh him away as well, if not worse. A tear slipped down Anya's cheek and she brushed it away angrily. Sometimes she hated herself for getting attached to so many people. Life was easier when she was a demon. She only had to care about herself, only had to grant enough wishes to make D'Hoffryn happy.

Now she couldn't make anyone happy. The bell above the front door chimed merrily. Anya smiled. She could still make Xander happy. All she had to do was look into his shining, brown eyes to know that he would always love her. She heard his shuffling footsteps as he walked back to the storage room – that was where he found her every night. He opened the door and smiled down at her. "Hey, babe," he said. Moving into the small space, he closed the door and sat down next to her. "Get much done?" He asked.

Anya shook her head. "No," she said.

"That's okay," Xander replied, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. She leaned into him, resting her head against his chest. The gentle, consistent rhythm of his heart calmed her. "It's not going anywhere."

"How was your day?" Anya asked, her voice muffled as she buried her face in his shirt.

He shrugged, but didn't reply.

…………………………….

Kennedy groaned and rolled over in her bed. _No, not just her bed – her and Kara's bed_, she thought. But Kara was dead. It was her bed now. Night had fallen. She moved to turn on the light, but had rolled too far, and fell off the bed. Cracking her head on the floor, she groaned again. Things had become so difficult. Even turning on the light was impossible. Laughing at herself, she kicked away the sheets tangled around her legs and stumbled into the bathroom. She managed to flip on that light without hurting herself. But its brightness pained her eyes.

The mirror showed her a reflection, one that she didn't want to believe was hers. Her face was a study in bruising. Glancing down at her body, she sighed wearily. She hadn't eaten in days. She was starting to look emaciated. Her ribs poked out of her flesh in jarring angles. One of them was broken, at least she thought so, she remembered something punching her hard in the stomach and hearing a cracking sound. But she never went to the Council infirmary, never had it looked at. The cuts on her arms and stomach throbbed. A vampire had slashed her with a knife a few days ago. She glanced down at the laceration on her stomach and grimaced. It wasn't healing. The flesh around it was starting to turn black. As she gazed at herself in the mirror, she realized something. She was killing herself. Worse than that, she was doing exactly what Kara wouldn't have wanted.

Tears spilled out of her eyes as her lover's name flashed through her thoughts. She wanted to feel the warmth of the other girl's body pressed against hers, just once more. She wanted to feel her lips. But she was so cold. Wrapping her arms around herself, she realized that she needed help. Giles had been right. Stumbling from the bedroom, she descended the stairs and left the house. Giles' apartment was only a few blocks away. She forgot to bring a stake, but she didn't run into any vampires on the way. When she reached his front door, she hesitated. What if he didn't want to help her anymore? What if he stopped caring? What it she couldn't be what he wanted anymore? What if that Kennedy was gone for good?

Before she could answer any of those questions, the door swung open. Giles was standing on the other side, his robe tied around him, and his glasses perched precariously on his nose. "Oh," he said, startled, "I thought I heard someone out here. I didn't actually expect to find anyone though Are you alright, Kennedy? You look awful."

"Giles," Kennedy started, her voice breaking. Her knees buckled and she collapsed in front of the door, unable to stop the sobs that ripped through her. Giles rushed forward and gathered the broken girl into his arms.

"Shh," he said. "It's okay. Everything's okay."

"Help me," Kennedy said breathlessly. "Please, help me."

……………………………

When Kennedy didn't meet Faith in the cemetery that night, the dark haired Slayer skipped patrol and went straight to a bar. She drank until the sun was starting to come up and left for home. But when she opened the door, she knew something was wrong. Buffy was awake already. She could hear the blonde girl moving about upstairs. Faith walked into their bedroom, not realizing at first what was happening. A duffel bag sat on the bed. Clothes were strewn everywhere. Buffy came out of the bathroom holding some toiletries and her eyes fell on Faith.

"Hey," she said softly.

"What's going on?" Faith asked as Buffy shoved the items into the bag and zipped it closed. Any buzz she still had flowing through her blood was gone. She was sober again and pissed.

"I'm leaving," Buffy said simply.

"You're leaving?" Faith repeated, unable to comprehend the words.

"That's right," Buffy nodded. She shouldered the bag.

"What do you mean?" Faith asked confusedly.

"I can't stay here anymore," Buffy explained slowly. "You're not the person I married."

"You're not the person I married either!" Faith exploded harshly. "She left and now there's some ice queen bitch in her place."

"Faith," Buffy said quietly. "I can't stay here."

"Why not?" Faith demanded, moving forward until she was standing in Buffy's personal space. She could smell the blonde girl's vanilla shampoo. The scent brought back so many happy memories, but Faith pushed them aside. She didn't deserve to be happy. She let her daughter die.

"You're drinking all the time," Buffy said. "You're fighting all the time. You're yelling at me all the time. I can't take it anymore."

"So what?" Faith said. "It's over, just like that?"

"No," Buffy replied and shook her head. "It's not over," she said. Gingerly, she reached up and brushed her fingers down the side of Faith's face. The compassion in her touch made Faith want to cry, but she stared stoically at her wife instead. Buffy sighed and dropped her hand. "I just can't be here anymore, Faith. You have to stop. It's not good for you and it's not good for me. Show me you can be different. Show me you can be yourself again and I'll come back."

Faith didn't turn as Buffy walked past her. She didn't watch her walk out of the door. "Fuck you," she whispered softly to the breaking morning. When she heard the front door close, she let herself cry.

…………………

Willow pressed her knee into the girl's center, smiling wolfishly when she moaned. Hitching her shirt up, she licked a lazy circle around her belly button. The brown hair splayed on the pillow changed before Willow's eyes, morphing into blonde. The girl wasn't Tara, but Willow could make her look like Tara, if only for a little while. "I'm gonna make you come so hard," Willow whispered to her seductively. Moving up her body, she ran her tongue along the side of the girl's neck. She writhed under the red haired witch. Nibbling at her pulse point, Willow grinned, and in her mind, Tara moaned.

……...

Kennedy stared at the bowl of soup in front of her. She knew that she should eat it. Giles had worked hard making it for her and she needed the food. She needed the energy. But she couldn't find the will to pick up the spoon. "Come on," Giles prompted. "You have to eat something."

"I know," Kennedy muttered. With a trembling hand, she reached forward and gripped the spoon. Lifting it, she placed it in her mouth. The soup tasted like nothing to her. It smelled like nothing. Forcibly, she swallowed. Giles smiled at her.

"Good," he said. "After you finish, I'm taking you to the Council infirmary."

"You actually want me to finish this?" Kennedy asked.

Giles glanced sympathetically over at her and said, "Just eat half."

By the time half of the bowl was gone, the soup was cold. Giles took Kennedy down to the Council infirmary and waited while the doctors surveyed her injuries. "How is she?" Giles asked as Dr. Beckwith stepped out of the examination room.

"The rib is definitely broken," he confirmed. "She's got a fractured skull as well. Deep bruising. She's a Slayer, but some of those cuts on her stomach and arms are going to scar. She never bothered to look at them, so they're infected."

"Jesus," Giles muttered, shaking his head.

"She'll need to stay here for a while. She's dehydrated. We'll get an IV into her. That'll fix that problem. We'll give her some antibiotic to treat the infection. Her healing capabilities should handle the rest," he explained.

"Thanks," Giles said. "How long will she have to stay?"

"A day or two," he replied. "She's lucky you brought her in," he added. "A couple more days and the infection would have killed her.

……………….

Anya stood behind the register at the Magic Box. It was a slow afternoon. No costumers had walked in the door for an hour. She was thinking of closing early. Flipping open a magazine, she started reading about the latest celebrity gossip. The bell above the door chimed and Faith walked in. She was pale. Anya closed the magazine and waited. She could sense that the younger girl wanted to say something, but was trying to find the words.

"Buffy left," she finally said.

Anya closed her eyes briefly as a wave of sadness flowed through her heart. But she had been expecting that news for days. "I'm sorry," she replied.

Faith shrugged and sat on the counter. "She was right," she said softly, looking down at her hands. "About everything."

"Faith?" Anya prompted.

"I'm really fucking up, aren't I?" Faith asked, glancing over at the ex-vengeance demon with tears in her eyes.

"Completely," Anya replied.

"I can't do this on my own," Faith started, but Anya interrupted her.

"I want you here every morning at eight o'clock," she said in a business like tone. "There's tons of inventory in the back. We need to get it out on these shelves. You'll work until lunch, have an hour break, and then come back until 5:30," she said. "I'll pay you minimum wage. At 5:30, we'll walk back to my house. You'll stay for dinner and play videogames with Xander until you go on patrol. You'll patrol for an hour and go home. Once you're home," Anya said seriously, "you'll stay there. After work tonight, we'll go back to your place and dump all of the alcohol. Understood?" She asked.

Faith stared at her for a moment and then smiled. When she did, she looked five years younger. "Understood," she said.


	16. Spirals

Standing on the Edge of Tomorrow III: Inferno

Previously:

Willow pressed her knee into the girl's center, smiling wolfishly when she moaned. Hitching her shirt up, she licked a lazy circle around her belly button. The brown hair splayed on the pillow changed before Willow's eyes, morphing into blonde. The girl wasn't Tara, but Willow could make her look like Tara, if only for a little while. "I'm gonna make you come so hard," Willow whispered to her seductively. Moving up her body, she ran her tongue along the side of the girl's neck. She writhed under the red haired witch. Nibbling at her pulse point, Willow grinned, and in her mind, Tara moaned.

Chapter Fifteen: Spirals:

Faith stared into the empty inventory room with her arms folded across her chest. "Looks good," she commented.

"It does," Anya said with a pleased smirk plastered on her face. "Bought damn time too. I can finally start to make some money."

"Is that all you think about?" Faith asked, glancing over at her. Her eyes danced amusedly. Anya liked the sparkle that had been building in her eyes since the dark Slayer had started working at the Magic Box.

"Sometimes I think about sex too," Anya replied. "And then about having sex on a large pile of money," she joked.

"You're weird," Faith murmured. Closing the door to the inventory room, she glanced back at the clock. "Xander should be coming soon," she said.

"Yeah," Anya replied.

Faith moved over to the front door and gazed out of the window. Buffy had walked out on her two weeks ago and she hadn't heard anything from her since. Several times she had thought about going over to the Summers' residence to talk with her, but Anya had dissuaded her. Buffy needed time and, while Faith wasn't the most patient person, she knew that she had to give her wife space. But being away from the blonde Slayer was driving her crazy. Resting her head against the glass, she closed her eyes. The routine Anya and Xander had established for her was the only thing keeping her alive. She still wanted to drink, but she had a goal in sight now. She wanted Buffy back more than she could ever want another drop of alcohol.

Anya watched her out of the corner of her eye. "You okay, Faith?" She asked.

"Five by five," Faith muttered.

"Uh huh," Anya said pointedly.

"I just wish I could skip ahead, you know?" Faith said. "Until Buffy comes back home. Just fast forward through all this other shit."

"I know," Anya said.

"That would be so much easier," Faith mumbled.

"You have to live through the pain," Anya replied. "It all just makes you stronger. Once you've gotten through it, you'll appreciate what you've got all the more."

Faith smiled a little when she saw Xander walked down the sidewalk with his hands shoved into his pockets. He looked up and waved at her when he saw her standing in the window. "Xander's here," she said.

"Good," Anya said as she closed the register. "I'm getting hungry."

"Yeah, me too," Faith replied softly. After dinner, she would patrol. With every vampire she staked, she felt closer to redemption, but not just redemption for killing Allen Finch all those years ago. She felt redemption for straying so far from her original purpose. Hunting vampires just to pulverize them was absurd. She saw that now. When she patrolled, she staked as many vampires as she could without allowing herself to lose control. Every night, she felt eyes on her, watching, and waiting. Maybe soon Buffy would come home.

……………………….

The early evening sunlight was streaming in through the partially curtained window. Willow lay on the bed, her chest heaving as she struggled to regain her breath. Sweat lazily rolled down her naked abdomen, splashing onto the sheets. Legs were entangled through hers. Soft flesh rubbed against soft flesh and she stifled a moan at the contact. "Tara, baby," she whispered. The movement stopped. Willow opened her eyes and glanced over at the incredulous face of the girl lying next to her.

"That's not my name," she stated.

"What?" Willow asked.

"Tara is not my name," she said forcefully. "Do you seriously not know who I am?"

Willow gazed over at her angrily. "Don't say her name."

"Who's name?" The girl demanded as she threw the sheets off of her body and began collecting her clothes. "Some bitch you slept with and never got over?"

Willow's eyes flashed black. "How dare you!" She shouted as the girl pulled her shirt over her head.

"How dare I what?" She asked bewilderedly.

"How dare you call her that," Willow said. Before the girl's eyes, Willow's hair turned black. Staring gaped mouth at the naked woman kneeling on the bed, she didn't have time to think or move as a bolt of black electricity shot out of Willow's fingers and slammed into her chest. The smell of sizzling flesh filled the room. Willow smirked and settled back down on the bed, reveling in the afterglow of sex and ignoring the dead body on the floor.

…………………

Kennedy sat on the floor, the tile cold against her bare feet. With her eyes closed and her palms upturned and resting on her legs, she meditated. The cravings, the violence, the grief all faded to the back of her mind as she let the world go and reveled in the darkness of oblivion. But even so, Kara's presence always lingered around her. She could feel the future Slayer everywhere. Sighing, Kennedy opened her eyes. The meditation helped her to curb her desire for alcohol. It helped her to curb the rage that flowed through her blood. But it wasn't helping her move on. She wasn't sure that she could.

She knew that Giles would be coming soon to take her to dinner. Everyday she worked through the motions a regimented routine that the Watcher had created for her. She could feel herself healing, but only a part of her. Another part remained dark and closed off. Closing her eyes, she cracked her knuckles and tried again. Breathing in slowly, she exhaled. Her mind cleared and started drifting. As she fell deeper and deeper, she became aware of the earth and everything in it. Further she slipped until she could no longer feel the earth, but the energies flowing around it. For a moment, she felt a warm aura surrounding her. In her heart, she liked to think that it was Kara. She knew better; Kara was dead.

The warmth left and something dark filtered into her mind – something violent. A storm was brewing in Sunnydale. The door banged open and she jumped, startled out of her meditation. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Giles walking toward her. His face was lined with worry and his eyes were troubled, but he smiled at her. "I'm sorry," he said when he noticed how she was sitting, "did I interrupt you?"

"It's okay," Kennedy said and shrugged. Stretching lithely, she rose to her feet. "Is anything wrong?" She asked.

"No," Giles said hastily. When he saw her look, he added, "It's just Willow."

"What about her?" Kennedy asked as she walked with Giles out of the meditation room and into the hallway.

"I haven't been able to contact her for some time," Giles explained. "I'm worried about her. The Coven has been sensing some dark energies in Sunnydale of late. They can't explain them, but I'm afraid Willow might be involved."

"I'm sure it's nothing," Kennedy said, but she frowned.

Giles noticed and bumped her lightly with his elbow. "What is it?" He asked as they continued walking toward the cafeteria.

"I just felt something when I was meditating," Kennedy explained. "Something dark. I don't know what it was."

Giles nodded, but said nothing.

………………….

Dawn sighed and paused at the bottom of the stairs. Every night her mother made dinner for her and Buffy and every night Joyce and Buffy ate it. When they were done, Dawn would sneak downstairs and take her food into her room, where she would study and wallow. But tonight was different. She was sick of wallowing. She was sick of studying. She was sick of missing Spike, though she knew she always would. Joyce had called her to dinner a few minutes before, not believing that her youngest daughter would actually join them. She could hear the clinks of forks hitting plates as she paused.

Moving forward, she entered the dining room. Buffy's green eyes looked up to meet hers and she smiled. "Hey, Dawn," she said warmly. "Hungry?"

"Yeah," Dawn replied, moving over to her usual seat. But she wouldn't look at the empty chair across the table, where Spike used to sit during dinner and drink a mug of blood.

"I'm glad you decided to join us tonight," Joyce said, handing her a plate of chicken.

…………………..

Faith walked aimlessly through the cemetery. She hadn't seen any vampires that night. Her hour of patrol was almost done. Directing her feet toward the exit, she sighed. She hadn't felt eyes on her that night. Buffy wasn't watching her, which was just as well, no vampires had deemed to show their faces. Slipping her stake into her boot holster, she shoved her hands in her jacket pockets. A light breeze rustled her hair, blowing it in front of her face as she walked. She was so deep in thought that she didn't notice the presence of another person in front of her until she heard the sound of someone clearing her throat.

Looking up, she saw Buffy standing in front of her. "Jesus," Faith muttered, alarmed, "where did you come from?"

"I've been standing here," Buffy said. "For quite some time now, actually. Where have you been?"

"Stuck in my head, I guess," Faith said. An uncomfortable silence fell between them. "So," she asked, "what are you doing here?"

"Well," Buffy said slowly, "I wanted to talk to you."

"Oh?" Faith asked.

Buffy hesitated for a moment and nodded. "Yeah."

"Okay," Faith replied.

"Okay," Buffy agreed.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" Faith prodded, stepping forward. When Buffy didn't step back, she took it as a good sign.

"You," Buffy said. "I wanted to know how you were doing."

"Good," Faith said thoughtfully. "I'm doing good. I'm working at the Magic Box now. Anya had me doing inventory."

"That must have been fun," Buffy commented with a hint of a smile.

"Not really," Faith said. "I eat with them every night. I patrol for an hour. I go home and sleep. I do it all over again. It's a little boring, but it works."

"I'm glad," Buffy said. She stepped forward. Only a few feet remained between them, but those feet seemed like a canyon.

"Is that what you wanted to know?" Faith asked.

"Have you been drinking?" Buffy asked softly.

"No," Faith said and shook her head. "I haven't been drinking."

"Good," Buffy said and looked down at her hands.

"I should get home," Faith said, though she didn't want to leave. Buffy looked so beautiful standing in the moonlight.

"Faith," Buffy started. She glanced up at the dark Slayer with pain in her eyes. "I miss you."

"I miss you too, B," Faith said roughly. "But I think you know that."

"I want to start seeing you again," Buffy said.

"I'd like that," Faith replied, smiling.

"Maybe we can meet for patrol tomorrow night," Buffy suggested.

Exhaling deeply, Faith said, "It's a date."


	17. Black Magic

Standing on the Edge of Tomorrow III: Inferno

Previously:

Robson let them drink and then led them through the caves, which sprawled deep below the mountain. Torches it the darkness, dispelling the shadows. They reached a cavernous room. In its center, a circle of women sat. They were holding hands and murmuring something in a language that Kara couldn't understand, but Tara smiled. "They're praying for us," she said.

One of the witches looked up and nodded to Tara. "You must join us," she said. "You must sit with us. Together, we can open another portal. Together, we can get you out of here."

Chapter Sixteen: Black Magic:

Kara closed her eyes and stopped walking when she reached the mouth of the cave that led to the underground compound in which the runaways of Hell resided. Rubbing her temples, she sighed. Tara was still praying with the other witches. Opening the portal was taking longer than they thought it would. Kara didn't know why; she was waiting for the blonde haired witch to tell her. Thus far, Tara had been evasive when questioned about the situation, but the troubled look in her soft eyes warned Kara that something bad was happening. She opened her eyes and gazed over the bleak landscape of Hell. The sky was darkened in a perpetual storm. Fires burned everywhere, but cast no warmth. Wrapping her arms around her body, she tried to keep herself warm.

Her life had consisted of a myriad of ups and downs. She still remembered the last desperate moments of her time in her reality, just before she jumped into a pit of demons. Fallen into such depths of despair, totally alone in a world overrun by evil, she hadn't even been able to muster the will to live. She had seen too many people die. But she had been given a second chance. Instead of falling into the ravishing, razor sharp claws of the demons waiting to devour her, she had fallen onto the soft, dewy grass just outside of Sunnydale.

The amazing time she had spent in Sunnydale with her parents had been short compared to the rest of the horrors of her life. But those happy moments were almost enough to erase all of the rest. Shivering from the cold, she thought of the people waiting for her back on the surface of the earth – those people who most likely thought she was dead. She could only imagine what they were going through. Her last conversation with Kennedy replayed through her mind. She wondered what her lover had wanted to talk to her about. She had pushed the conversation away at the time, always too busy with her visions and work with the Council to have the time to sit down and have a heart to heart. But now she wished that she hadn't.

She desperately missed the dark haired former Potential. Every moment she lingered in Hell was one moment more that she couldn't be where she belonged. She didn't just miss Kennedy though. She missed her parents, Xander, Anya, and the rest of the Scoobies. In her reality, she had never really had a normal life – not one that she remembered, at least. But she had it all in Sunnydale. She had two loving parents, friends, a devoted lover, a house, and a job that she loved. Chuckling dryly to herself, she shook her head. She had none of that anymore. She was in Hell.

"With a little luck, maybe not for long," she whispered. She wondered how Tara and the rest of the witches were doing with the spell to open a new portal. She didn't know where it would send them; she wasn't sure if any of the witches knew. But as long as it didn't drop them in the middle of the ocean, she would just be glad to get home again.

She was starting to think that she had overstayed her welcome in Hell. With every second that past, she grew more restless, more troubled. She could feel darkness spreading within her. She wanted nothing more than to rip into Robson and pay him back for all of the pain he had caused her friends and family. Though she had hated him before, her feelings had grown and intensified in the short time she had been in Hell. Everything was magnified. All of her negative emotions were growing and all of her positive ones were diminishing. She tried to remember what it felt like to love and be loved. She tried to remember what it felt like to be at peace. But those memories were drifting further and further away from her. She couldn't keep up with them.

She wanted blood. She wanted pain. She wanted death. Growling low in her throat, she closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. "I have to stay in control," she murmured. "I have to."

"Who're you talking to?" Tara asked, walking up behind the dark haired future Slayer.

Kara resisted the urge to whip around and grab her friend by the throat. Calming the violence raging through her body, she gritted her teeth and said, "Just myself."

"First sign of a mental illness," Tara joked, though it fell flat. Neither woman was in the mood to laugh.

"How's it going in there?" Kara asked distractedly. She was staring into a flickering fire a few feet from the mouth of the cave. It hadn't been there when they first entered it. But that didn't matter. It was mesmerizing.

"Not so well," Tara openly admitted. "Are you okay?" She asked concernedly.

"Sure," Kara replied.

"Really?" Tara pressed.

The younger girl smiled slightly and rolled her eyes. "Okay," she said, "maybe I'm not so good." Pausing, she collected her thoughts and elaborated, "I hate it here. I just can't stand it anymore. I just feel horrible."

"Violent?" Tara asked softly.

"Yeah," Kara agreed. "Violent."

"Don't worry," Tara said optimistically. "We'll be out of here soon."

"I thought you said things weren't going well," Kara reminded her pointedly.

Tara chuckled. "Well, I did say that," she admitted again. "But not so bad that we won't be able to do it."

"So what's going wrong?" Kara asked. The sound of Tara's voice was helping to banish that darkness and that violence back to where it belonged – deep within the sleeping Slayer within her. As the witched responded, Kara closed her eyes and allowed her soothing voice to roll over her.

"Something's blocking us," Tara replied. "I guess that's the simplest way I can put it. But it's more than that. It's not someone trying to block us intentionally. No," she said thoughtfully. "It's more than that. It's something blocking all magic. Something bad."

"Like big evil kinda bad?" Kara asked.

"Yeah," Tara agreed. "Black magic kind of evil."

"Do the other witches have any theories?" Kara furthered.

"They do," Tara replied. "They think that someone or something on earth, on our reality, has lost control. We were trying to open a portal anywhere back home. But now we've realized that we need to take a new tack. The black magic is concentrated in one specific area. As much as I don't like it, if we use that magic to help bolster our own, we can open up the portal. But it'll be in the center of all of the badness."

"Lost control?" Kara asked, opening her eyes and glancing over at Tara.

"Yep," Tara said and shrugged her shoulders. "All of that dark magic is keeping us from opening the portal because it's so strong. But we can't fight against it. We'll never win that way. We have to work with it. I promise you though," she said sincerely, "it shouldn't be that much longer."

"Lost control," Kara repeated, whispering to herself, though the other witch heard her.

"What's wrong?" Tara asked. A flash of panic went through Kara's eyes.

"Nothing," she said, swallowing her fear and gazing reassuringly over at Tara, though she felt anything but reassured. "Just open that portal soon, Tara," she said seriously. "And not just for my sake. Not just for Spike. Open that portal."

"Why?" Tara pressed.

Kara sighed. "If what's happening up there is what I think is happening," she replied darkly, "our friends are going to need our help."


	18. The Fire Inside

Standing on the Edge of Tomorrow III: Inferno

Previously:

"Faith," Buffy started. She glanced up at the dark Slayer with pain in her eyes. "I miss you."

"I miss you too, B," Faith said roughly. "But I think you know that."

"I want to start seeing you again," Buffy said.

"I'd like that," Faith replied, smiling.

"Maybe we can meet for patrol tomorrow night," Buffy suggested.

Exhaling deeply, Faith said, "It's a date."

Chapter Sixteen: The Fire Inside:

"Why do I feel nervous?" Faith asked irritably as she gazed at herself in the mirror. In her signature tight fitting, black jeans and red tank top, she looked amazing. But she felt ridiculous. "I'm married to her for god sake. It's not like this is a first date."

"Well, it sort of is. It's your first date since you separated," Anya replied without thinking. When she saw the death glare that Faith was shooting her in the mirror, she smiled apologetically and added, "But you're right. You are married. It's stupid to feel nervous."

"So now I'm stupid?" Faith growled back exasperatedly.

"I'm just not going to win with you tonight, am I?" Anya asked. Dumping a bag of salad greens into a bowl, she picked it up and moved over to the dining room table.

"What you got planned for this evening?" Faith asked, looking away from the ex-vengeance demon and at herself again.

"I cooked spaghetti," Anya declared proudly. "And a salad."

"You don't cook a salad," Faith shot back.

"No, but I prepared it," Anya clarified as she moved back into the kitchen.

Faith picked up a stake from the living room coffee table and shoved it into its ankle holster. "You dumped lettuce into a bowl."

"Thus the preparation," Anya said. "What's your point?"

"Aren't you going to put anything else into it?" Faith asked.

"Lettuce equals salad," Anya said, rolling her eyes. "Duh."

"Okay," Faith said, throwing her hands up in defeat. "Whatever. You cooked the salad."

"Thank you," Anya replied. "When Xander gets home from work, we'll eat. After that, I'll rip his clothes off and take him on the table."

"Okay!" Faith interrupted loudly. "That's about all I need to know."

"You asked," Anya stated simply.

A knock on the door cut short their conversation. Mumbling thanks to whatever deity had made her wife show up at that moment, Faith swung open the door. Buffy stood on the other side of it, her hands shoved awkwardly in her pocket. She smiled at Faith, but anxiety shone in her eyes. She was nervous too. "Hey, B," Faith tried to say casually, despite the way her voice croaked.

"Hey, Faith," Buffy replied, equally as squeakily. "You ready?"

"Yep," Faith said. "Got my stake. Don't need anything else."

"Okay, good," Buffy said. "Hey, Anya," she called into the room as Faith stepped out.

"Come on," Faith said, closing the door before Anya could respond and ushering Buffy down the sidewalk. "It's best we not engage her right now."

"Why not?" Buffy asked, frowning slightly. "I wanted to say hi to Anya."

"And you said hi," Faith replied. "All that was necessary."

"She and Xander have a date tonight, don't they?" Buffy said, everything clicking into place in her mind.

"That's right," Faith said and nodded. "And I've heard as much about it as I want to hear."

As silence fell between them, Buffy became acutely aware of the pressure of Faith's hand against the small of her back. Glancing shyly up at the dark haired Slayer, she said, "So how're you?"

"Fine," Faith said and shrugged, moving her hand away. Buffy missed its warmth, but didn't say anything. She couldn't tell Buffy about how hurt she had been when the blonde woman walked out on her. She couldn't tell her about the cycle of self destruction she had gone through and how Anya had been the only one to notice and the only one to try to pull her out. She couldn't tell her how great it had been living with Xander and the ex-vengeance demon. Instead, she stayed quiet.

"That's good," Buffy said. "I've been good too."

"Great," Faith replied. She tried to keep the bitter edge out of her voice, but failed. She didn't need to know how good Buffy had been doing since leaving her.

Growling in frustration, Buffy said, "No, that's not what I meant. I've not been good without you. It sucks without you. But you said you were fine and I didn't want to be the one pining away."

"You haven't been the only one pining away, B," Faith reminded her. "But you walked out, remember? I reserve the right to pine."

"I walked out because you were turning into an alcoholic bitch," Buffy said not-so-gently.

"And I turned into an alcoholic bitch because our daughter had just died and you weren't there for me," Faith shot back. Both Slayers stood glaring at each other, anger fuming in their eyes for several long seconds before Buffy smiled and started laughing. "What?" Faith asked sharply. "What the hell are you laughing at?"

"This is not how I wanted this to go," Buffy said, wiping at the corners of her eyes. "I don't want to fight with you."

"I don't want to fight with you either," Faith admitted.

"Can we start over?" Buffy asked as she stopped laughing.

"Okay," Faith agreed.

"How are you?" Buffy asked again.

"Surviving," Faith answered. "You?"

"About the same," Buffy replied. "Come on," she said. "Let's patrol."

"Sounds good," Faith replied.

"Before we hit the cemetery thought," the blonde Slayer continued, "I wanted to check on Will."

"What's wrong with Red?" Faith asked confusedly.

"Nothing, so far as I know," Buffy said. "But that's the point. I haven't spoken with her in a long time."

"You know," Faith joked, "there are these things called telephones and when you dial certain numbers you can speak with certain people."

"And those things called telephones go both ways," Buffy replied.

"Telephones are bisexual, huh?" Faith quipped.

Buffy rolled her eyes and linked her arm with Faith's. "I missed this, you know? I missed being with you."

"Me too," Faith said softly. She smiled over at Buffy for a moment before she asked, "So what was wrong with Red again?"

"I don't know," Buffy said. "I just want to go check on her. Make sure she's alright. Like I said, it's been a while."

"Okay," Faith nodded in agreement. "We'll hit her place before the cemetery."

"Thanks," Buffy replied.

"But Red is a big girl," Faith said, "I'm sure she's fine."

……………………………………….

Faith would eat her words later, but she didn't realize that as she and Buffy walked casually down the corridor toward Willow's room in the Council's dormitory. A light banter flowed easily between them. For the moment, they both ignored the festering questions that lay inside of them. Faith didn't understand why Buffy had shut herself off after Kara's death and Buffy didn't understand Faith's need to drink herself into oblivion. But neither voiced their questions. They didn't want to interrupt the happiness that had settled over them. They were together again. Perhaps that was all that mattered. In the end, finding out the answers to their questions might only cause them more pain.

"This it?" Faith asked as they paused in front of a door. Something played at the back of her mind. Energy seemed to vibrate through the walls. But she couldn't identify it. She looked over and saw the confusion on Buffy's face. The other girl was feeling the same thing. She wrinkled her nose, rankled by the odor that seeped out of the room. "What is that?" She asked disgustedly.

Buffy's face paled. "Definitely not old Chinese food," she said. "That doesn't smell familiar to you?" She asked the other Slayer.

"Well," Faith said thoughtfully, "it kinda smells like body that's been smoldering in a vamp den for a week."

"Yes, it does," Buffy agreed.

Faith looked over at her blonde counterpart and paled as well. "You don't think?" She asked.

"I don't know," Buffy said grimly. "But we're going to find out." Stepping forward, she knocked on the door. No one answered. "Willow?" She called hesitantly to no reply. She knocked again. When she was rewarded with silence for a second time, she set her jaw, raised her foot, and kicked down the door.

"Red?" Faith called as she warily walked into the room, her wife just behind her. "Red, you here?" A quick scan of the room revealed Willow. She was sitting in front of her bureau, staring into the mirror. Her hair was black.

"That's not good," Buffy muttered under her breath. There was a lump under the covers of the bed and when Buffy brushed them aside, she gasped and jumped back. A body was lying on the bed, already decaying. She glanced fearfully over at Willow. "Hey, Will," she said as lightheartedly as she could. "Why is there a body in your bed?"

"She wouldn't play along," Willow said distractedly. She was gazing at herself in the glass as though she had never before seen her own face. Faith grabbed her stake from her ankle holster. Buffy reluctantly did the same.

"Wouldn't play along, huh?" Faith asked. "What kind of game were you playing?"

"I was making her look like Tara," Willow whispered. She sounded cold, detached. Not like the lively and warm red head that Faith knew. "But she got mad."

"Why?" Buffy asked, inching closer to her best friend. Willow sounded so lost, like a child that was scared and alone in the woods. Part of her felt for the girl sitting in front of her, but part of her knew that Willow was dangerous at that moment.

"I called her Tara," Willow said, smiling cruelly. "She didn't like that. But that's her name." She spun around in her chair to face the two advancing Slayers. "Don't you get that? It's her name. Silly girl," she said and chuckled. "What you got in your hand there Buffy?" She asked in a taunting voice, eyeing the stake suspiciously fearlessly.

"Nothing," Buffy said, lowering the weapon and smiling.

"Looks like a stake to me," Willow commented, rising to her feet. Immediately the two Slayers felt the power crackling off of her. It threatened to drown them it was so intense. But it was also so violent. "You weren't planning to stake me, were you?" Willow asked in mock anger, putting a hand to her chest. "That wouldn't be very nice."

"Tell me you didn't kill her," Buffy said pleadingly. "Tell me something else happened. Anything else."

"Oh, I killed her," Willow admitted with a vicious grin. Faith noticed the veins playing in her neck. They too were black. "Silly girl," she commented again under her breath, running a slow finger up the girl's leg.

"Willow," Buffy said softly, tears shining in her eyes. "What happened to you? What happened to your hair? This isn't you."

"But it is me," Willow snapped back angrily and her eyes flashed black. "It's the new me. The powerful me. The me that doesn't need anyone else. I'm beyond it all now. Love, hate, death, life," she rambled. "I'm beyond everything."

"It's magic," Faith whispered over to her partner. "It's black magic."

"And the winner is," Willow announced, gazing over at Faith. "Black magic," she said and the words dripped off of her tongue. Her eyes slowly lingered on Faith's body. "Well, well," she said, grinning seductively. "Why didn't I ever notice you before?"

Faith had never felt so violated as she did in that moment. "We gotta do something about her," she whispered to Buffy so that only the golden haired girl could hear.

"I know," Buffy replied. "Will, why don't you come with us and we can go see Giles and talk all about the new, powerful you, okay?"

"You want to go talk?" Willow snickered. "Something tells me you want to do more than that. You wouldn't have that stake in your hand if you just wanted to go talk." She paused and said thoughtfully, "No, you want to take me down. You have to. You're the Slayer after all. It's your job to destroy the bad guy. And right now, baby, I'm the bad guy, aren't I?" She asked, chuckling.

"Willow," Buffy began, but the black haired witch cut her off.

"Bored now," Willow said simply and with a flick of her wrist sent a fireball shooting straight at Faith.


	19. Power

Standing on the Edge of Tomorrow III: Inferno

Previously:

"You want to go talk?" Willow snickered. "Something tells me you want to do more than that. You wouldn't have that stake in your hand if you just wanted to go talk." She paused and said thoughtfully, "No, you want to take me down. You have to. You're the Slayer after all. It's your job to destroy the bad guy. And right now, baby, I'm the bad guy, aren't I?" She asked, chuckling.

"Willow," Buffy began, but the black haired witch cut her off.

"Bored now," Willow said simply and with a flick of her wrist sent a fireball shooting straight at Faith.

Chapter Eighteen: Power:

The fireball reached Faith before she could move, slamming into her chest. What happened after that, she wasn't quite certain. She remembered feeling pain as the fire ripped through her clothes and licked at her skin. She remembered Buffy's anguished cries as she threw a comforter over her and tried to stamp out the flames. Mostly, she remembered smelling burning flesh and knowing that the flesh that was burning was her own. Willow, the dead girl on the bed, and everything else that had preoccupied her until that moment fled from her mind. Faith didn't care where Willow was. She didn't care that the red haired witch had run laughing from the room once Buffy's attention was diverted by her burning lover.

The sound of sirens carried through the drifting thoughts in her mind. She blinked in and out of consciousness. She was in the dormitory and then she was on the parking lot and then she was in the infirmary across the Council campus. She didn't know how much time had past and she didn't like that feeling; it reminded her all too well of the time she spent in a coma after her near fatal fight with Buffy so many years ago. Buffy, she remembered fighting with Buffy on the way to the dorms, but she didn't remember what they were fighting about. She didn't really care, not after getting hit by a fireball. That put things in perspective.

When she awoke again after yet another lost grip on reality, she was staring up at an off white ceiling. It was night outside; she knew that because she could sense the vampires patrolling Sunnydale. She sensed someone in the room with her and knew right away that it wasn't Buffy. Always, she knew when Buffy was near and she was near, but not in the room. Faith smiled a little. Buffy was pacing the hallway. When she moved her head to catch a glimpse of the person in the room with her, everything became fuzzy. Her brain didn't like the motion. Blinking rapidly to dispel the fog in her eyes, she smiled lazily when she saw Kennedy.

"Hey," she croaked out, her voice thick and rough from not being used.

"Faith," Kennedy stated, startled out of her thoughts. "You're awake."

"Would appear so," Faith replied slowly. "Got any water?"

"Yeah," Kennedy replied, lifting a glass to the older Slayer's lips. Faith drank greedily, though she coughed most of it back up on her thin, white shirt. "Feel better?"

"My throat does anyway," Faith joked.

"Are you in pain?" Kennedy asked, her eyes flashing worry.

"No," Faith said, "I think the morphine drip is handling that nicely. There is a morphine drip right? After getting hit by a fireball you'd think they'd have the decency to give you a little drugs. Besides, I'm not feeling anything, so there must be a morphine drip, or some invention similarly as grand."

"There's definitely a morphine drip," Kennedy said laughingly. Then seriously, she added, "It's good to have you back Faith. We were worried for a while there."

"How long have I been out?" Faith asked, her face a concentration in stoicism.

"About two days," Kennedy said, "not long."

"Thank God," she breathed a sigh of relief. Glancing over at the younger Slayer, Faith grinned a little. "You're not drunk," she stated.

Kennedy laughed humorlessly and stared down at her hands. "No," she replied, "I'm not. Giles has been helping me."

"Realized you had lost control too, huh?" Faith asked soberly.

"Yeah," Kennedy agreed. "We were a fine mess there for a while."

"I remember," Faith said. "It wasn't good."

"Not at all," Kennedy affirmed. "But I'm doing better now."

"Me too," Faith said, "you know, except for the fireball. Speaking of the fireball, how much damage did it do?"

"If you weren't a Slayer," Kennedy said, "you'd probably be dead."

"Yikes," Faith muttered comically. The room was still spinning.

"As it is, you might have a little scarring on your stomach," Kennedy continued. "But you're already healing faster than anyone thought you would. We've got you at the Council infirmary. So everyone here knows how you heal, but you're still healing faster than expected."

"Yay me," Faith replied. "So, I gotta ask, where's B?"

Kennedy smiled softly. "She's been a wreck," she answered. "She didn't want to come in until you were awake and better. She couldn't stand looking at you all pale and helpless."

"Hey," Faith warned. "I may be lying in this bed, but I am not helpless."

"I know," Kennedy said, throwing up her hands in defeat. "I'm just quoting her."

"Well get her sorry ass in here so I can show her how helpless I'm really not," Faith growled good-naturedly.

"Sure," Kennedy said as she rose to leave the room.

"Hey, K," Faith called out to her. The younger girl turned back. "Don't be a stranger, huh? I don't want anything to be weird between us."

"It's not," Kennedy assured her. "And I won't be."

"Good," Faith said as she left the room. She could feel Buffy moving closer. Her energy rose into a fever pitch in Faith's mind. Finally, the door opened. Buffy stepped into the room, absently dabbing at her eyes. "You're not cryin' are you, B?" Faith joked.

"Of course not," Buffy lied. Moving over to the bed, she sat down on the chair that Kennedy had been occupying and took Faith's hand. It felt cold against her warm skin and she encircled it with her hands.

"Sorry I threw a scare into ya there," Faith said.

"It's not your fault," Buffy replied. "Neither of us could have predicted the fireball incident."

"Any word on Willow?" Faith asked, her brow furrowing in concern.

"No," Buffy said darkly, shaking her head. "I haven't heard anything from her. No one's heard from her and, believe me, everyone's on the lookout. With strict instructions to avoid her at all costs though," she added. "I don't want anyone but me and the Coven going up against her."

"So that's how it is?" Faith asked. "We're going up against her?"

"Yeah," Buffy nodded sadly. "That's how it is."

"I'm sorry," Faith whispered. "She's your best friend."

"And you're my wife," Buffy replied. "I love you so much. I don't know what I'd do without you. And Willow knew that. She knows that. And she still did this. It's unforgivable. I don't know what she's going through," Buffy said in frustration, "but she's lost it. She's playing with magics she can't control and they've consumed her. I don't eve know if there's any of Willow left in her now."

"What do you think she's doing?" Faith asked. "You think she's watching us?"

"I don't know," Buffy said, troubled. "I don't know what her plans are, or if she has any. I just know we have to stop her before she hurts anyone else."

"I agree," Faith said.

"But you're not doing anything until you're fully healed," Buffy said definitely. "And no arguments. I don't want you hurting yourself."

Faith grinned lopsidedly. "Yes, ma'am," she said jokingly.

Buffy smiled, rolled her eyes, and gave her lover a lazy kiss on the lips. "I'm glad you're awake," she said.

"Me too. I'll have all the time in the world to sleep when I'm dead," Faith replied.

Buffy sighed and leaned back in her seat, her thoughts bent on Willow. "I wonder what she's doing now," she mumbled.

……………………….

Willow stood on the cliffs overlooking Sunnydale. Its light burned brightly and steadfastly below. She could see the hospital where she and her friends had gone so many times after apocalyptic battles. She had lain in a bed in that hospital herself, after a bookcase was thrown on top of her. She could see lights of her parents' house. She couldn't remember when she had last spoken with them. The light of the Magic Box twinkled up at her, of the Summers' residence, of the new high school. Smiling viciously, she threw her head back and laughed. Such a stupid, little girl she had been. She had possessed so much power but she had been afraid to use it. Not anymore. That power flowed through her freely now. She was the power; she always had been. Giles and the others had tried to dissuade her because they feared her. She was better than they were. She always would be.

Underneath of her feet were the ruins of an ancient Pagan temple. Celebrations had been conducted there, rituals had been performed there, and sacrifices had been taken there. The blood of those sacrificed for the magic flowed through her veins now as she stood there and soaked up the temple's power. She needed more; always more. Her hair was totally black now. So were her eyes. So were the veins bulging in her neck, bulging in her arms. She was toxic, but she didn't know it. Somewhere in her mind, trapped in a little corner kicking and screaming and trying to fight against what was happening to her was the only piece of Willow really left. That piece knew that the blackness was wrong. That piece knew that the magic was wrong. But it was too late.

Willow was gone. The magic had her now and it would keep her forever, or so it thought. The magic moved her body, pulled air into her lungs. The magic lifted her arms and made her lips chant ancient words to raise the temple. The magic knew what it wanted to do. It wanted to destroy the world. It wanted to show the world once and for all just how powerful it really was; just how feared it really should be. They would tremble, Giles and the others. They would bow. In the end, they would die.


	20. Death Comes for a Witch

Standing on the Edge of Tomorrow III: Inferno

Notes: So sorry for the lack of updates. Having two jobs and going to school at the same time is harder than I thought. But here it is, the second to last chapter. Thanks for sticking with me.

Previously:

Willow was gone. The magic had her now and it would keep her forever, or so it thought. The magic moved her body, pulled air into her lungs. The magic lifted her arms and made her lips chant ancient words to raise the temple. The magic knew what it wanted to do. It wanted to destroy the world. It wanted to show the world once and for all just how powerful it really was; just how feared it really should be. They would tremble, Giles and the others. They would bow. In the end, they would die.

Chapter Nineteen: Death Comes for a Witch:

"Something is definitely wrong," Kara said. She and Spike stood on the outside of the circle of witches gathered to try to open a portal back to earth. They were chanting, their voices rising melodically into the stiflingly humid air of the cave. The dark haired Slayer couldn't understand the language they were speaking, but evidently Tara knew it, or was a quicker study. The witch sat with her legs crossed, holding hands with the two women beside her and chanting along with the others. Her eyes were closed, her lips were slightly parted. Had it not been for the painful contortions of her face, Kara would have thought she was asleep.

"Love, something's been wrong for quite some time," Spike countered. "And not just in this cave. Something's been wrong with us. I'm barely hanging on."

"I know what you mean," Kara replied.

"We have to get out of here," Spike said, absently scratching at his arm. Kara looked down and cringed. She hadn't noticed before, but Spike had scratched straight through his skin. Blood was dripping down his wrist and splashing silently onto the stone floor.

"Spike," she said softly, grabbing his hand to still its motion. "You have to stop."

"What?" He asked, looking dazedly down at her.

"You're hurting yourself," she said, motioning with her eyes to the wound on his arm.

"Bloody hell," he murmured, shaking his head. "I'm going crazy here."

"It won't be much longer," Kara insisted.

"How do you know that?" Spike asked angrily. His eyes flashed yellow. "How do you know?"

"Because Tara said so," Kara said.

"Tara," Spike scoffed. "Well if Tara said it, it must be true. You ever stop to think that maybe she's not as powerful as she thinks she is?" He asked snidely. He could hear himself talking, but he couldn't stop the words from tumbling from his lips. But he was appalled. He loved Tara just as much as the girl standing next to him did.

Kara grinned. "You ever stop to think that she's _more_ powerful than she thinks she is?" She shot back. "Tara's always doubted herself. Always," she whispered. "But she can do this. They can do this. They have to," she added.

"And why's that?" Spike asked wearily.

"Things aren't all good back on the surface," Kara explained. "I think something has happened that I've been working all of this time to try to stop."

"What might that be?" Spike asked curiously.

"I think she may have lost control, finally, after all of this time," Kara replied. "Maybe she was destined to. Maybe it was all supposed to happen and I just postponed it. I don't know," she said, running a frustrated hand through her tangled locks. "Nobody sent me back here with a manual on how to make things right. They expected me to change things, but what was I supposed to do? I only know so much. When the wheels start spinning, sometimes there's no stopping them."

"Kara," Spike said, laying a hand on her arm. "Please, who are you talking about? You're making no sense."

"Willow," Kara said darkly. "I'm talking about Willow."

As she spoke the words, something ripped inside of the ceiling of the cave. A low rumble issued forth from the earth. The ground started to shake and Kara grabbed onto the bleach blonde vampire to keep from losing her balance. "What's this?" Spike asked, gazing disconcertedly up at the crumbling bits of rock that were falling loose from the cave.

"They're doing it," Kara replied. Above the circle of witches, a swirling blue dot appeared. At first, it was only the size of an eye. But it started growing. "It's the portal," she said excitedly, glancing over at her companion. He smiled back at her. For once, since being sucked down into hell, she felt alive, truly alive, and happy. She was going home. _They_ were going home. But a dark thought crept into her mind. What would be left for them when they got there?

……………………………..

The earthquake hit at three o'clock in the morning. At least, they thought it was an earthquake, until Giles stumbled out of the Council infirmary and happened to glance up at the bluffs overlooking Sunnydale. What he saw there caused the color to drain from his face. His stomach dropped. Someone was trying to raise the satanic temple buried deep within the earth there and he knew who it was. "Buffy!" He called anxiously, gazing over his shoulder as the blonde Slayer and Kennedy rolled Faith's bed away from the windows and under the doorframe to protect her from falling debris.

"What?" She shouted back over the rumbling of the earth ripping itself apart.

"We have a major problem," Giles replied.

"I know," Buffy said. "I hate earthquakes."

"I'm not talking about the earthquake," Giles said apprehensively.

Buffy glanced up at him and saw the emotions swirling through his eyes – anger, blame, guilt, regret. Suddenly, she knew. "It's Willow, isn't it?" She asked softly, though he heard her.

"We have to stop her, Buffy," he replied. "She's trying to raise an old satanic temple."

"Why?" Buffy asked, though she already knew.

"Most likely to destroy the world," Giles shot back. "That's what they always want," he added under his breath.

"Go, B," Faith said.

"I can't leave you here, not with this earthquake going on," Buffy argued.

"It's okay," Kennedy said. "I can stay with her."

"No," Faith shook her head. "You have to go too. You both are the strongest, with me out of commission that is," she added, and received a playful slap from her lover. "You have to stop her, B. I'll be fine. You got me under this nice doorframe here. See," she said, "no chunks of debris can hit me. I'd much rather the world not end. After all, we haven't had the chance to have crazy hot make-up sex yet."

Buffy sighed, leaned down, and gently kissed her on the lips. "Okay," she said. "But don't you dare do anything stupid like try to get up."

"I won't," Faith promised. "Don't think I could anyway."

"Come on," Buffy said, glancing up at Kennedy. The younger girl saw determination in her eyes, but also sadness. Buffy was a Slayer. It was her job to kill the things that went bump in the night, the things that threatened the world. But this time, that thing wasn't just some demon or vampire. It was her best friend. "You ready?"

"I am," Kennedy nodded.

Buffy threw a final glance at Faith, flashed her a smile, and turned back to Giles. The earthquake was getting worse. As she ran toward her Watcher, with Kennedy behind her, her vision bounced so much, for a moment, she thought she might be sick. Swallowing her nausea, she said, "Let's go Giles."

He nodded solemnly and led the way. From her bed, Faith watched as her lover, her best friend, and her Watcher disappeared into the quaking night.

………………………………

"Get under it!" One of the witches instructed. "You too," she said softly to Tara. "You're part in this circle is done. Keep chanting; keep focusing on expanding that portal. But go join your friends. When it's time, it'll take you up."

Tara nodded and climbed to her feet, releasing the hands of the two women beside her. She met Kara and Spike in the center of the circle and smiled at them. "Well," she shouted over the growing roar of the portal unfolding above them, "I hope this works."

"You're not the only one," Spike shouted back.

Reaching out, Tara took both of their hands. "If it doesn't, and we get crushed into oblivion or something, I just want you both to know that I love you very much."

Kara smiled and squeezed the witch's hand. "I love you too," she said.

"And so do I," Spike agreed. "But don't go telling anyone about this little moment here when we get back to earth and everything's spick and span again. Don't need people thinking I've become some fluffy marshmallow."

"Can't have that," Tara agreed and chuckled.

They fell silent and gazed up at the portal. All at once, they began to feel as though they were being lifted off of the ground. Kara looked down and saw her feet steadily leaving the floor. Tendrils of the portal snuck out and enclosed them. She began to feel as though her body were being pulled apart, but she never let go of the hands of her two friends. A sharp pain shot through her and she cried out. She heard Tara and Spike do the same. The chanting of the witches gradually faded until she couldn't hear it anymore. Squeezing her eyes closed, she lost herself in time.

…………………………..

"Willow!" Buffy shouted. The now black haired witch stood near the edge of the cliffs, steadily raising the temple. Her hands were stretched toward the sky, her head was tossed back, and her eyes were as black as the darkest night. "Willow!" She called again. "You have to stop. This isn't you!"

"Oh, yes it is," Willow said, laughing manically. "This is the new me. The better me."

"Willow," Giles tried, "please, think about what you're doing."

"Don't worry, Giles," she said, gazing down at them with a sick smile playing on her twisted features, "I've thought so very long and hard about all of this. Really, I have," she said, batting her eyelashes at him. "And I think it's best. Who wants to go on living in this world, anyway?" She asked rhetorically. "People get sick. They die. They suffer. There's no happiness here. No good. Everything's just bad and wrong and nothing happens like it's supposed to."

"This is about Tara, right?" Buffy said, moving closer, but skirting around the temple rising from the earth. Giles and Kennedy followed behind her. "You're angry because you lost her."

"Don't talk to me about Tara," Willow shot back. "You don't know anything about her."

"I lost someone too, you know," Buffy replied, her own anger growing. "I lost my daughter. Boo hoo, you lost some girlfriend," she said sarcastically. "You didn't lose your flesh and blood. If anyone should be up here trying to destroy the world, it should be me. But I'm not. Why?" She asked. When Willow tried to interrupt her, she fiercely cut her off. "Shut up. I don't want to hear another fucking word," she said warningly. "I'm sick of your self pity. Not everything's bad in this world. There are still things worth living for, even when it seems like there's nothing left. It's not our fault you can't see them."

"You're a real bitch, you know that, Buffy?" Willow asked. Glaring at the Slayer, she said, "Kinda makes me glad I'm going to have the chance to kill you."

"Not before I kill you," Buffy shot back. "This is how you want it?" She asked, predatorily circling the witch in one direction while Kennedy circled her in the other. Giles stood off to the side, uncertain what part he would have to play in the events that were about to unfold. "Fine. I'm through talking. I'm through playing games. You tried to kill someone I love tonight. You're going down."

Willow grinned. "Bring it on, Slayer." Buffy and Kennedy charged at her at the same time. Flicking her wrist in one direction, she sent Kennedy flying backward. She landed dangerously close to the edge of the cliff, banging her head on a rock. Stars exploded in front of her vision and then everything blackened. With her other hand, Willow grabbed Buffy's fist just as she was about to strike her. Holding the confused Slayer at bay, she said, "And here I thought you were supposed to be some kind of super hero. You don't look all that tough to me right now, Buffy." She started squeezing, smiling wickedly when she heard the bones in Buffy's hand snap. Biting her lip to keep from screaming, Buffy tried to swing with her other hand. But Willow caught that one as well.

Before she could do anymore damage, Giles spoke up. "Incurso," he shouted. Green tendrils of magic shot from his hand and slammed into Willow's forehead. Releasing the Slayer, she stumbled backward and fell to the ground. Buffy collapsed, favoring her wounded hand, and edged back toward Giles. Glancing over at Kennedy, she saw that the younger girl had yet to move.

"Kennedy," she whispered, willing her to sit up. But she didn't. Buffy couldn't tell if she was dead or alive. But she saw that part of the dark haired girl's face was obscured in blood.

"What the hell was that?" Willow demanded, rising to her feet. "You want to come out and play now, Giles?"

"I think I do," Giles replied. "And I think this game is about over."

"Oh, really?" Willow asked mockingly. "You're really just a silly old man."

Giles flung another burst of magic at her and knocked her from her feet again. "And you're just a silly, stupid, little girl."

Anger flashed through Willow's eyes. "You know," she said, climbing to her feet. "I used to think you had all of the answers. That you were so special and great. Such a wise man. Mr. Giles. But you're not, are you? You're just a washed up old Watcher. Well, guess what? You're days are up. It's time for me to teach you a thing or two."

Before Giles could throw anymore of his magic at her, she glanced down at her fingers. A ball of fire appeared in her hand. Thrusting it at Giles, she cackled when he tried to dive out of the way. The fire brushed against his back, setting his coat ablaze. Shrugging it off, he found himself dodging another fire ball. "You're not that agile, Giles," Willow taunted. "You can't keep running forever. I'll get you one of these times."

He ducked behind one of the columns of the partially resurrected temple and glanced back at Buffy. She was creeping cautiously toward the witch. Just as she was about to reach her, Willow turned and smiled down at her. "And just what do you think you're doing?" She asked.

Before Buffy could reply, she saw a shimmering light out of the corner of her eye. She turned toward it, momentarily forgetting all about the woman standing over her. Willow, seeing that her prey's attention had shifted, followed her gaze. "That's interesting," she murmured. The light materialized into a portal and Buffy's heart leapt in her chest.

"It can't be," she murmured. Hope suddenly sprung.

"I don't know what kind of shit you're pulling here Giles," Willow said dangerously, "but nothing is going to stop me now." Three figures appeared inside of the light, separated by a few feet. Their hands were no longer linked. As the light faded around them, Willow let another fireball grow in her hand. "This world is going to end," she stated. "One way or another. You're little tricks won't do any good."

Buffy heard her words a second too late. Gazing up at Willow, she realized with horror that the black haired witch was about to send a fireball shooting toward the three people whose faces could now be clearly seen in the moonlight – Kara, Tara, and Spike. But in her haze of anger and rage, Willow saw no faces. Just enemies. Releasing the fireball, she grinned maliciously as it struck one of the figures. But her grin faded when she heard the screaming. She recognized the voice, somewhere deep inside, and she knew what she had done.

Buffy shouted, but the words were lost. The heat of the fireball knocked Kara and Spike to the ground, but it hit Tara directly in the chest. She was no Slayer, just a witch, and the fire consumed her. Neither Kara nor Spike knew what had happened until they looked up and saw their friend burning alive. "Fuck!" Kara yelled, jumping to her feet and knocking Tara down. Using her hands, for that was all she had, she tried desperately to extinguish the flames. Buffy ran over to join her, using her jacket to swat at the fire. But it was no use. When the fire died, so did Tara.

Willow gazed uncomprehendingly at the scene before her and then gazed down at her hand. Her eyes slowly changed from black to green and her hair slowly changed from black to red. The earth stopped shaking. The temple stopped rising. Giles crept out from behind the column and moved over to her. "Willow?" He asked anxiously.

She blinked back tears and looked over at him. "Giles?" She asked, her voice cracking. She collapsed, her knees striking the hard stone of the temple floor. "What have I done?"

Kara heard her words and glanced over at the witch through the tears burning in her eyes. "You," she said, her voice full of hate. Rising to her feet, she started walking toward Willow. She wanted to stop. She didn't want to hurt the other witch, not really. But some part of her did. Some part of her wanted to hurt something, someone, anyone and not even because Tara was dead. It wanted to hurt someone just for the hell of it and she couldn't stop herself. Her pace quickened until she was running full speed at Willow. Knocking her down, she started pounding on the dazed witch. "She's dead because of you!" Kara shouted. Beneath her, Willow trembled and cried, blood pouring from the wounds the Slayer's lashing fists created on her face. Buffy grabbed Kara underneath of the arms and pulled her off.

"Stop!" Buffy shouted. "Just stop it! It's over!"

Kara wriggled free of Buffy's grasp and pushed her away, inadvertently knocking her to the ground. "Get off of me!" She yelled back, missing the pained look that flitted across her mother's face. Turning away, she ran her bloodied, burned hands over her face and through her hair, not even noticing the agonizing pain that shot through her mutilated flesh. Spike hadn't moved from where he had landed on the ground when the heat of the fireball knocked him over. He was staring in disbelief at Tara's charred body. Her eyes shifted from Spike's anguished face to another body lying just by the edge of the cliff. "Oh, no," she whispered and started running toward it.

Kneeling down beside Kennedy, she gathered the wounded girl into her arms and wiped the blood away from her face. Anxiously, she pressed her fingers to Kennedy's throat. A soft, but steady pulse pounded against her skin. "Thank God," Kara murmured, burying her face in Kennedy's hair.

Buffy stared over at her. Her daughter was alive. Spike was alive and Tara would have been had Willow not mistakenly killed her. Although, that action hadn't really been a mistake. Thinking the opening portal to be some trick, she had lashed out at the three figures it deposited back in Sunnydale. She had meant to kill someone. Just not Tara. Buffy looked back down at the girl now crying in Giles' arms. She was torn. Part of her heart was hardened against the witch – the part ruled by the Slayer. That part of her had been ready to kill her best friend. But another part broke for the girl she had grown to love as another sister. Kneeling down beside her, she brushed her hair from her face and said, "It's okay, Will. It's okay."

"No, it's not," Willow said mournfully, unable to look at the smoking body of her lover. "I killed her. _I _killed her. It'll never be okay."


	21. Epilogue

Standing on the Edge of Tomorrow III: Inferno

Notes: Thanks for all of your support. This is the final chapter. I hope you guys have enjoyed the story.

Previously:

Buffy looked back down at the girl now crying in Giles' arms. She was torn. Part of her heart was hardened against the witch – the part ruled by the Slayer. That part of her had been ready to kill her best friend. But another part broke for the girl she had grown to love as another sister. Kneeling down beside her, she brushed her hair from her face and said, "It's okay, Will. It's okay."

"No, it's not," Willow said mournfully, unable to look at the smoking body of her lover. "I killed her. _I _killed her. It'll never be okay."

Epilogue:

Kara gazed out of the living room window as people moved about behind her. Tara had been buried that evening. Friends from the university, other witches, coven members, Watchers, and the Scooby Gang were gathered in the Summers house for the wake. But Kara didn't care about any of them. No one understood why she and Spike couldn't talk to anyone. They didn't understand why Spike locked himself in the basement and wouldn't come out. They didn't understand why neither she nor the bleach blonde vampire went to the funeral. But none of those people had been to Hell and back. A strange bond had developed between she, Tara, and Spike during their time in the underworld. She still couldn't believe that Tara was gone.

"Hey," Kennedy said, coming up beside her with a plastic plate loaded down with food. "Hungry?"

"No," Kara replied quietly.

"Well, I don't really care if you are or not," Kennedy said, making her take the plate. "You haven't eaten since you got back."

"I'm not hungry," Kara repeated.

"Eat it anyway," the dark haired Slayer insisted.

"Why?" Kara asked.

"Because I want you to," Kennedy answered.

Kara sighed and glanced over at her. Looking down at the plate, she smiled. Kennedy had brought all of her favorites. "Okay," she said. "I'll eat."

"Good," Kennedy replied, brushing a strand of her girlfriend's dark hair behind her ear. She couldn't stand the perpetual sadness that lingered in her lover's blue eyes.

Kara picked up her turkey and Swiss sandwich and took a bite. "Happy now?" She asked as she chewed.

"Very," Kennedy replied.

From across the room, Faith watched the two women interacting. Buffy was standing beside her, nursing a cup of tea. Faith knew that her wife was hurting, but she didn't know how to help. Willow was gone. The Coven had whisked her away to some unknown location where she would remain until she had learned how to control herself and her magic. No one knew how long it would take for that to happen. The two closest people in Buffy's life had always been Willow and Xander. Now one of those people was gone. Faith looked over at Xander, who was sitting on the couch. Anya was next to him, holding his hand. He was smiling at something that someone was saying, but Faith knew that he wanted to be anywhere but in that room at that particular moment.

"Hey, B?" Faith asked, looking over at the blonde girl.

"Yeah?" Buffy asked.

"Maybe we should talk to her," Faith said.

"Who?" Buffy asked.

"Kara," Faith replied.

"Maybe we should," Buffy agreed. "But then again, maybe we shouldn't."

"What do you mean?" Faith asked.

"I don't know that it's our place," Buffy replied. "Maybe Kennedy should be the one to talk to her."

"Of course it's our place, B," Faith insisted. "She's our daughter."

"Yeah," Buffy said, smiling crookedly. "But she's also all grown up. She needs to learn how to talk to Kennedy about things. Especially if Kennedy ever decides to pop the question," she added in a low whisper. She didn't want Kara to overhear.

"Right," Faith said, sighing. "I know. I just want to be there for her."

"We are here for her, Faith," Buffy said. "She knows that we're here. She knows that we love her."

"I know," Faith agreed.

"She'll talk to us when it's time," Buffy said. "I'm going to get more tea, want any?" She asked. Faith shook her head and Buffy moved out of the room. As she was leaving, she glanced over at the basement door and saw Dawn sitting next to it, her head leaning against the wood.

"Spike," Dawn said softly. "Spike, please, let me in."

Spike sat on the other side of the door, his posture mimicking Dawn's. "I can't," he said.

"Why not?" She asked, barely hearing his voice through the thick door.

"I just can't," he replied.

From across the room, Kara heard their conversation. She had finished eating the plate of food that Kennedy brought her. "I'll be right back," she said to her girlfriend. Moving away, she walked over to the basement door. "Dawn," she said.

"Yeah?" The Key replied, looking up at her with tears in her eyes.

"Get up," Kara said softly, offering her hand. "Let me try."

Dawn wiped away her tears with the back of her hand and let Kara lift her to her feet. "Okay," she said.

Kara knocked lightly on the door. "Spike?" She asked. "Can I come in?"

Silence greeted her request. Finally, the door opened. She snuck in through the small crack and closed it behind her. "Hey," she said.

Spike stood awkwardly on the step below her. "Hey," he said, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"So this is weird, huh?" She said, folding her arms across her chest.

"Yeah," Spike replied.

"I thought being back would be great," Kara continued.

"But it's not," Spike concluded.

"And not even because Tara's dead," Kara said.

"Although, that's a pretty big part of it," Spike interrupted.

"But there's something else too," the Slayer said.

"Something else," the vampire repeated.

"It's like we don't really belong here anymore," Kara finished.

"I know," Spike agreed, nodding his head slowly.

"I mean, I wanted to kill Willow. I really wanted to kill her and I love her. She's my friend too. But I didn't even care about that. I was just so angry," Kara whispered.

"I remember," Spike said dryly. "I saw the whole thing."

"And it's not like me to just lose control like that. But I feel like I can't stop it. I can't stop it from happening again. It's like being down there, in hell," –

"Changed something in us?" Spike suggested.

"Yeah," Kara agreed.

"I feel like that too," Spike said,

"But here's the thing," Kara continued. "We can't live like this. You can't stay locked up in the basement. I can't keep avoiding everyone. We have to go out there and live our lives."

"Why?" Spike asked.

"Because Tara would have wanted it that way," Kara explained. "And because if we keep ourselves locked up like this, that anger that took control of me for a minute there will take over us altogether."

Spike sighed heavily and looked down at his boots. "Maybe you're right."

"So let's go out there," Kara suggested. "And try for our friends' sakes to be like we used to be."

"Before we got sucked into Hell?" Spike said jokingly.

"Yeah, before that," Kara stated.

"Alright," Spike agreed. "I can give that a try."

Kara opened the door and held it open for Spike. As the vampire emerged, Dawn rushed over to him. Wrapping his arms around her, he rested his chin on the top of her head. "Hey, love," he said quietly.

"Hey," Dawn said breathlessly. "You coming out for good now?"

"Yeah," Spike replied. "Everything's going to be okay."

Kara smiled and moved away from them. "Ken," she said, motioning to her girlfriend, "can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure," Kennedy replied.

Taking Kennedy's hand, Kara led her out of the living room and up to one of the bedrooms. Closing the door behind them, she turned around and took a deep breath. Like Faith, she wasn't good at opening up to people about her feelings. But she knew if her relationship with Kennedy were to survive the changes within her, she needed to explain them. "We need to talk," she said.

"Should I be nervous about this talk?" Kennedy asked, dread sinking her stomach.

Kara smiled lightly and shook her head. "No," she said. "We're okay. But I just need to explain some things to you."

"Okay," Kennedy replied. "I can handle that."

They sat together on the edge of the bed. "I know you wanted to talk to me about something before the whole getting-sucked-into-Hell incident," Kara started. "But let me talk to you first, okay?"

"You can talk to me about anything, baby," Kennedy said, taking her hand. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Thanks," Kara said, smiling. "I need to hear that sometimes." Clearing her throat, she looked away. "When I was in Hell, something happened."

"What?" Kennedy asked anxiously.

"It's kinda hard to explain," Kara struggled. "But something changed inside of me. I started to feel different. I felt like I was losing myself, like something angry and evil was taking over me. Tara saw it. She saw it happening to both Spike and I." Kennedy gripped Kara's hand harder. "That night on the cliff, when I saw what Willow had done, I lost control. I wanted to kill her. I didn't care that she was my friend. I didn't care that she was my mom's best friend. I didn't care that she loved Tara more than I would ever know. I just wanted her dead."

"Baby," Kennedy said, cupping her cheek.

"Let me finish," Kara shook her head. "I didn't want her dead because she had killed Tara. That's a convenient way for me to explain it, to rationalize it. It's almost like I just wanted to kill someone. I just wanted to hurt someone. If Buffy hadn't of pulled me off, I would have."

"So how do we deal with this?" Kennedy asked.

"I guess that's my whole point," Kara said slowly. "Do you want to deal with this? Can you handle this? I need to work through this and it may not always be pretty."

Kennedy smiled. "I love you, Kara," she replied. "Nothing's going to change that. I want to be here for you, for always."

"I'm glad to hear you say that," Kara said, sighing with relief. "Keep me grounded, huh?" She asked, bumping shoulders with the younger girl.

"I'll be your kite string," Kennedy said, lightly kissing her on the lips.

"So, your turn," Kara said. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

Kennedy chuckled nervously. "Well, I don't know if this is the best time. I mean, this is Tara's wake and all."

"No time like the present," Kara said.

"Okay," Kennedy replied. Standing up, she slipped her hand into her pocket and fingered the ring that she always cared with her. Kneeling down in front of Kara, she said, "I love you so much."

"I love you too," Kara replied.

"So I want to ask you something," Kennedy continued nervously.

"Okay," Kara said, uncertain of what her girlfriend was doing.

Pulling the ring from her pocket, she held it up for Kara to see. The diamond in the center glimmered in the light shining through the window. "I can't see me without you. I want you there with me for the rest of my life. No matter what. There's nothing we can't face if we're together. I know that we're both Slayers and our lives may not be as long as maybe they should. But I want to live my life with you, however long it is. So, Kara Summers, will you marry me?"

Kara stared in shock down at her girlfriend, her eyes shifting between Kennedy's hopeful and anxious face to the diamond ring she held in her hand. She didn't know how the rest of her life would play out. She didn't know if the feelings of anger and rage that bubbled underneath of the surface of her being would someday explode into something else. But she did know that she loved the younger girl. "Yes," she said softly.

………………………….

Faith sat on the front porch. The wake was over. Everyone had gone, save the Scooby Gang, minus Willow. Gazing up at the stars, she sighed. The burn wounds on her chest still hurt. True to Kennedy's words, some of them were starting to scar. She would bear those scars for the rest of her life. But she knew that she had done terrible things to Willow too. Maybe now they were even.

"Hey," Kara said, slipping out of the front door and sitting down next to her mother.

"How ya doing, kiddo?" Faith asked.

"Still older than you, Mom," she replied. "The kiddo nickname doesn't quite fit."

Faith shrugged. "I'm your mom," she said, "I can call you whatever I want."

Kara chuckled. "Kennedy proposed to me tonight," she said.

"Oh?" Faith asked, lifting an eyebrow. "What did you say?"

"Yes," Kara said, showing her the ring resting on her finger.

"I think you made the right choice," Faith said, admiring the ring. "Kennedy's a great girl."

"Yeah," Kara agreed.

"I'm glad to have you back," Faith said, slinging her arm around Kara's shoulders. "Life wasn't the same without you."

"Can I ask you something?" Kara questioned.

"Sure," Faith replied.

"How do you deal with it?"

"Deal with what?" Faith asked.

"The darkness you carry within you?" Kara asked.

Faith looked over at her quizzically. "Why do you want to know?" She asked.

Before Kara could answer, Xander opened the front door. "Hey, guys," he said.

"Hey Xan," Kara replied, looking back at him. "What's up?"

"We found some home videos of Tara," he replied. "We're going to watch them. You want to?"

"Yeah," Faith said, rising to her feet. "You coming?" She asked, looking down at Kara.

"I'll be there in a minute," Kara replied. Faith nodded and walked back inside with Xander.

Turning away, Kara looked up at the stars. She was back. Hell was a memory, but not a very distant one. Shivering, she wrapped her arms around herself. She heard the others laughing inside. She was back, but the world had moved on and she didn't know her place in it anymore. Closing her eyes, she leaned against the porch railing. The sounds of the night filled her ears. She wondered if she would ever feel content again, if she would ever feel happy anywhere but in the darkness of a quiet night, alone, with her thoughts, her fears, and her anger. She wanted to go inside with the others, but she didn't. Questions tumbled through her mind. She knew she didn't belong in Sunnydale, she never did. It wasn't really her home. But she had made it her home. She was sitting on the front porch of a nice house in a nice town in a world that was very much alive, not on the edge of a cliff at the world's end. But a part of her would always be on that cliff, waiting. In the darkness, in the night, that was where she truly belonged, not in that happy, little house. That life was a lie, though a pleasant one. No, she was a Slayer, she was a killer, and that would never change.

"Death is my gift," she murmured to herself. She was a Slayer; she was meant to be alone. Glancing down at the ring now adorning her finger, she smiled, and the action warmed her heart. "But I'm not alone," she said. "Not anymore." Rising to her feet, she turned her back on the night and walked back inside. It didn't matter if she was where she belonged. She wasn't going anywhere and that change that was happening within her, she would fight it just as hard as she fought any vampire. She was a Slayer after all, but not the only one. The door slammed shut behind her and all was still.


End file.
